Elvish Friendship (Legolas and Tauriel)
by emifuzz
Summary: Thranduil finds a young Tauriel in the forest. Basically a multi-chapter fic describing Legolas and Tauriel's childhood/relationship. Light Legolas/Tauriel fluff in future chapters. Rated T to be safe. I take no ownership of The Hobbit. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: After watching BotFA for like, the third time, I felt kind of bad for Legolas. So I imagined what his and Tauriel's childhood was like. So here is my take on their relationship. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Kiliel (Kili/Tauriel), but I sort of came up with this Legiel (Legolas/Tauriel) fic. Probably going to be multi-chapter. Enjoy!**

_Everything seemed bleak. Cries of terror filled her ears. Before she knew it, young Tauriel was picked up swiftly by her mother, as she grabbed as many belongings as she could. "The Orcs have attacked the town!", the young elfling heard her father call. "Grab Tauriel and leave, now!" Her mother wrapped her up in a blanket, and fled their home. The young elf was confused. There was soon a shriek of agony that she instantly recognized as her father. "Father!" She started to panic. "M-mother, what's happening?" The older elf never responded, and kept on running. She tucked her head into her mother's chest, and tried her best to block out the yells and screams from her mind. Finally, after a while, the running stopped, and Tauriel felt herself get put on the cool ground of the forest. "M-ma?" "Shh, shh. Keep quiet..please.", her mother urged, tears gleaming in the moonlight. "I'm so sorry,", she bent down and cupped the now weeping elfling's face. "I can't carry you anymore. I must leave you here." "Why?", pleaded Tauriel, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was a loud, beast-like growl of fury nearby in the bushes. "Be a good little girl, okay? Please, for me.", the older she-elf gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, covering her up with the blanket, then disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Tauriel sat quietly, sniffling, until she heard a blood-curdling cry of pain. "Mother…!" She sat alone in the forest, with nobody there but herself. The young elf curled up into a ball, wrapped the blanket around herself, and wept._

The Elven king mounted on his magnificent elk steed, treaded briskly, and almost silently through the forest. Word had spread that there was an orc attack on the nearby Silvan town. Although he and his kingdom were Sindarin, it was still Thranduil's duty to look after them. He and his most experienced scouts were on the lookout, searching for survivors. The crisp winter air nipped at his skin. It was the first day of winter. His elk abruptly halted at a large tree, whining as if he sensed something. There _was _something. The large deer leaned down, and gently nudged at a covered figure on the leaf covered forest floor. The blanket which covered the figure moved a bit, and out came the red head of a little elfling.

The king could clearly tell that she was a Silvan elfling, due to her clothing, and her bright, red hair. She was clearly sad, seeing that her eyes were still red and puffy, due to her crying. Thranduil silently dismounted the large steed, and kneeled down to get to level with the elfling. "Hello, little one..", he said soothingly, holding out a tentative hand. The little she-elf shied away from him, bringing the blanket up to herself. "It's alright. I do not intend to harm you." She peeked out a bit, looking at him cautiously. He could see more of her this time. She had a loose single, simple braid, running down to the area below her shoulders. Her eyes shone like hazel colored gems. She rose slightly, enough to reach out her hand to meet Thranduil's. Tauriel's hand was tiny compared to the elf king's. She finally stood up fully, and even then, the king was taller. "Hello.", said the older elf once again. She met his gaze reluctantly, and nodded. "What is your name?" No answer from her. "You're the silent type, aren't you? I wouldn't blame you." Tears welled up in her eyes. Was there something he said? She suddenly ran into his arms, clinging to him like a lifeline, and began to sob into his chest. "Poor little elfling… What a tragedy." He wrapped his arms comfortingly around her small figure, running his hand down her hair soothingly. "I'll take care of you." He gently lifted her into his arms, and mounted his elk. She hung onto him a bit tighter as the animal began to move, but soon got over it.

Once they arrived to King Thranduil's palace, they were met up by one of the maids. "Please,", said Thranduil. "Take this elfling, and make sure she gets a warm bath, clean clothing, and plenty of warm food in her stomach." The loyal maiden bowed, and took Tauriel to the bath area. There, Tauriel was stripped of her disheveled clothes, and was put into a hot bath.

The flower scented soap gave a very relaxing aroma. That and the warm water seemed to sooth her aching muscles. She sat in the water as she was being washed and tried to clear her mind, but nothing helped very much. Soon, she was taken out, and dried with a soft towel, and her hair was combed out thoroughly The little she-elf was led to one of the chambers, where she would stay, and there was a warm meal waiting for her on the bedside table. Like the baths, this chamber was more elegant than any place she had seen. The wooden furniture was beautifully carved and polished, and the bed and rug were made of the softest material she had ever felt. Even her white nightdress was beautiful, with stunning patterns of stitching down the arms and skirt part of the dress.

When she finished her meal, the dishes were taken away immediately by the maid. She was left in her room to sleep, but she couldn't stop thinking about what she had experienced that day. Were her parent's really gone forever? Where was she? She had come to the realization that Thranduil was the king of Mirkwood, and that he had taken her into his care, but she was still confused about what had happened. As she laid in her bed, the door of her chamber was slightly open, and she could hear a familiar voice speaking.

"Are you sure there were no survivors? Have you checked thoroughly?" "Yes, my Lord. The entire group of scouts have searched, and we've found nothing. Other than the bodies of deceased Silvan elves." "Then I guess the poor Silvan elfling is on her own. We will do our best to take care of her here. I will do what I can to let her have a normal life here in Mirkwood. In the meantime, advise the maid to ready the elfling tomorrow morning for a meeting with me. Also advise Legolas to be there as well." "Yes, my Lord." With that, Tauriel heard the other elf walk off. Thranduil entered her room silently to burn out her lit candle, and whispered "Good night". She waited for him to leave, then began to let her tears fall again. That was it. Her parents would never return to her. They were…_dead_. She hugged one of her pillows a bit closer, and fell asleep to one word on her mind: _Legolas_. Who was that fellow, anyway?

**A/N: The end of that chapter! I will be continuing soon. Please follow, favorite, review, etc. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, yea. I kind of feel like writing a new chapter. Enjoy! **

The morning sun streamed into the dark room as the maiden opened the chamber door to fulfill her morning duty. "Good morning, young elfling. The king wishes to speak with you" Tauriel groggily got out of her bed, stumbling and almost losing her footing. "Come along, let's get you into your daytime garments." She followed the older elf to the closet that was at the opposite side of the room. She gazed, mesmerized at the beautiful dresses which occupied the large closet. They all seemed her size. The maiden, with a graceful hand, reached and picked a light green colored dress, like the color of spring grass. She looked into the mirror. It complimented her hair quite nicely.

Once Tauriel was dressed properly, and her hair was braided in typical Sindarin elf style, she was led by the maid down the hall and into a large room, most likely the throne chamber. The place was breathtaking. With the light streaming in through the skylight and other windows, the room looked like heaven to the little elf. She strode over to the throne. There sat the great king of Mirkwood, Thranduil, who had rescued her. "Ah. Greetings, young elfling. How was your night here in the palace.?" "Very pleasant. Thank you, my Lord.", she managed to say, remembering to use good manners. She noticed a small figure peeking out from the king's robes. "Please, let me introduce to you my dear son, Legolas." Seeing his cue, the young blonde-haired elf walked out into the open, where Tauriel could fully see him. "Legolas, son of Thranduil. At your service.", he said, bowing down before her. "T-tauriel, at yours." He smiled, gingerly, but she avoided his gaze. "So that's your name..._Tauriel_.", said the king. "That means 'Maiden of the Forest', Doesn't it, Ada?", piped the young elf. "Yes, son.. Well, as I was going to ask, Legolas. Would you please show Tauriel around the palace?" "Yes, Ada." With that, the blonde elfling gently grabbed Tauriel's shoulder, and led her out the door.

"So, what do you think the palace?",said the princeling. "It's quite beautiful, my Lord.", replied Tauriel. "Oh, you don't need to call me 'My Lord'! I'm actually not too fond of that. Seeing that you'll be living here, you can just call me Legolas." "Alright..Legolas." He smiled again. _That_ was what really made him different from his father. The blonde elfling may have the appearance of a miniature Thranduil, but he was so much more easy-going. She decided that he was a good fellow. "So, where is your mother?", the she-elf finally said, trying to strike a conversation. Legolas stopped dead in his tracks, and his smile faded. "I…mustn't speak of that." The red haired elfling noticed his change of mood. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you in any way.I-" "No, it's all right. Say how about we go to the stables?" His mood-brightening smile showed again, and Tauriel nodded nervously.

They walked to the large barn-like building. It smelled like hay and horse feed. Some of the horses seemed to recognize the prince, and nickered happily. "Hello!", he said cheerfully, as if they were human, as well. At the end of the large room, there was a particularly big stall, which must have housed a large creature. Tauriel soon realized that it was king Thranduil's elk! He whined knowingly when he spotted the red-haired she-elf. "Hey, I remember you!" the beast grunted as he got to his feet..or hooves, to be exact. Legolas got on his tippy-toes to reach the latch to the stall. Once he successfully opened the door, both elves entered the pen. "Hello, boy!", greeted Legolas. The large animal snorted and began to sniff at the elf's pockets. "Oh, you think you're so clever, don't you?" He gave in and presented the elk with the treats which were hidden in his pocket. "Can I... pet him?" "Of course." Legolas got on one knee and gave Tauriel a boost up. The large animal did look intimidating, but in reality was really gentle… Almost like Thranduil! The elflings finally said goodbye to the elk, and exited the stable. "Would you like to see my room?", asked the prince. "Sure"

They walked down the great hall, side by side. "Wait here.", he said as they halted in front of the kitchens. Tauriel was a bit confused, but obeyed him. He quickly strode in, silently. The she-elf heard a bit of rustling in there, and a huge commotion. As she was about to step in to investigate, the young Legolas dashed out the room, arms carrying a large bag, bulging with items. "Quick! Follow me, before they catch us!" So she did so. Her dress flowed behind her almost tripping her as she tried to keep up with the princeling. The elflings sprinted down the hallway, and up the stairs, like mice running from a cat. After what seemed like an eternity of running to the she-elf, they finally reached the male-elf's room. The he-elf plopped the sack down on the floor, and threw himself on his large bed, exhausted. Tauriel did the same, landing next to him, with a soft _thud_.

"That was *huff* the most outrageous *huff* thing *huff* that I have ever done in my life.", said Tauriel, who was probably more exhausted than the other elf. "My father will most likely have my head for this.", responded the elf, with a slight laugh. "Well, let's make it worth the while." He got up and brought the bag to the bed. To Tauriel's amazement, it was filled with Elvish desserts, pastries, and even a medium-sized jug of warm milk. "Sorry. Not to impressive, I guess. Ada would never let me have wine at this age.", said the prince, with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice. "Says the elf who just raided the king's kitchens!", she replied giggling. They both laughed for a while, then began to eat the delicious goodies. "Oh my goodness, these are _amazing_.", said the red-headed elf, her mouth full of one of the jelly-filled sugary breads. Legolas chuckled. " I guess it pays to be the king's son..Hey, you have something on your face!" He leaned over and with a gentle brush of his thumb, wiped a small spot of berry jelly off of the corner of Tauriel's mouth, which he soon licked off. "Did they ever have these kinds of sweets in your town?" "Oh, yes, there was a small bakery near my dwelling, before.." The memory of what had happened hit her like a stone. She had been having so much fun with Thranduil's son, that she had forgotten why she was there. The bright hue of her face seemed to fade, and turn pale, and she felt a lump form on her throat.

"Oh, Tauriel! My dearest apologies, I didn't mean to bring back memories.." The blonde-haired elf's words didn't seem to affect Tauriel at all, so the princeling decided to attempt a different strategy to comfort her. He hot to his feet, and stood in front of her, offering his hand.

"Wh-what..?", she said sniffling, as she looked up at him. "Take my hand." She did so, and he led her to the center of the spacious room. He held both of her pale-ish hands and began to sing a simple melody. Tauriel recognized it as Sindarin. As he sang, he guided her body to the song, like a dance. She could only understand it partly, for she didn't know the language entirely. Something about sadness becoming joy. The she-elf soon got the hang of the dance, and started to keep up with the other elf. Oh, how she noticed how clear and handsome his voice was! There was a slight change in the tempo of the song, which caused Legolas to twirl Tauriel around. The female elfling giggled at the sudden movement, in which she had almost stumbled over. He began to sing a bit faster, making them both move their feet quicker with shorter steps. He finished up the song with dramatically lifting Tauriel in the air, a move which he miscalculated, sending them tumbling down into a heap on the prince's bed. They both giggled hysterically, trying their best to compose themselves.

"Well, that was..different.", concluded Tauriel, still laughing softly. She looked over to him. "Thank you, Legolas, for…today. It was absolutely _wonderful_." She smiled gingerly. Not a fake smile to make herself seem happy. A real smile. To show her gratitude, the she-elf pulled the prince into an embrace, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. That practically made the elf boy a blushing mess, but he still accepted the hug, gladly. Then, he noticed something odd about her hair. "Oh, your braid has come undone." She reached to fix it, quickly, obviously embarrassed. "Here, let me." He began to braid her hair in the most professional fashion, his hands working swiftly. "I see you don't have a hair adornment.." "Yes, I know. Silvan elves don't normally wear those. Only on special occasions. But I must note that yours is quite beautiful." "Really? Here,", he replied, taking the elegant hair clip off, undoing his hair as he did. "Oh, you really don't have to-" "Consider it a gift." The princeling attached the spring-green gem-centered adornment to the base of Tauriel's braid. "There. Look, it even matches your dress. She blushed at his compliment. "Well, looks like the sun is setting.", he said, looking out the window. "Let's clean up the mess." And so the two elflings did. They cleaned the room, until it looked just as it had when they walked in.

"Hey,", said Tauriel when they finished. "You never re-braided your hair." "Oh..", his face turned slightly red. "Can I..?" , she asked hopefully. "Of course." The red-haired elf braided his hair. Not like how he had braided hers, but still nicely. She did it a completely different style than how Sindarin elves braid their hair. She had combed his hair into one, single, blonde braid. "Nice!", he said, smiling as he admired the work. "I like it."

Tauriel noticed it had become completely dark outside. "Oh, my..It's already night time.." "You could stay here tonight.", offered Legolas. "Are you sure?", she asked nervously. "Yes! The bed has plenty of room. I'm always alone, anyways." "Alright." The she elf looked down at her dress. "Umm..I don't really have any pajamas." "Oh, you can borrow one of mine." The prince went into one of his drawers, and retrieved a pair of silk, white night trousers and a night shirt. "Sorry, they're not too feminine." "Oh, that's quite alright. Er.. where might I be able to change?" He pointed over to a tall, foldable screen at the corner of the room, which provided a perfect private changing area. She was thankful for that, for she wouldn't be too happy changing in front of Legolas. The shirt was a little loose on her, but comfortable. Once she got out, Legolas was dressed in his pajamas, in bed. Tauriel slipped into the spot next to him, quite comfortably. To her surprise, Legolas pulled her into a warm hug, which relaxed her a bit. "Good night, Tauriel." "Good night, Legolas." And they fell asleep like that, in each other's embrace.

**A/N: I decided to make this chapter a little bit fluffy. Sorry if it was a bit long, but yea. I hope you enjoyed. Please favorite, follow, and review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I may not always be able to post throughout the weekdays all the time, but I'll try. Enjoy the new chapter!**

In the morning, Tauriel was the first of the two to wake up. She opened her hazel-green eyes to see a still-snoozing Legolas, with his arms still draped around her. She was a bit confused about what had happened, but soon the memories of the last night came flooding back into her mind. She shifted out of his grasp, and sat up, careful not to wake him, and took a moment to gaze at the sight before her. There was the princeling, sound asleep, looking as relaxed as ever, certainly not the energetic self that he usually is. The she-elf gently moved a lock of golden hair away from his face. He began to stir awake, mumbling a bit. His baby-blue eyes finally fluttered opened, and his tired gaze moved to look at the red-haired elf. "G'morning, Tauriel..", he said sleepily. "Good morning, Legolas." He smiled, and began to play with a stray lock of Tauriel's crimson-colored hair. The she-elf looked out the window, to see the bright sun peeking out from the distant mountains.

"I should get dressed and return to my room soon.. Your father might be suspicious about what happened.." "Oh, don't mind him! Nobody shall ever find out about that incident." "But what about the stolen items from the kitchen?", she turned to look at the prince. "Won't he confront us?" "Nah.. If he does, I shall take care of it. I _am_ his son. I have my way with things. Besides, you _are_ our honored guest." The redheaded elfling looked at the blonde one confused. "What do you mean 'honored'?" " Well, you're a Silvan elf in a Sindarin kingdom. We don't get to many of those around here. Once you start your tutoring, all of the elflings there will know your name." _Tutoring_.. "W-when does my tutoring start, exactly?" "Oh, most likely in a few days… Oh, don't worry, Tauriel," Legolas leaned over and gave the she-elf a side hug. "You'll do fine. I know you will!" "Thank you..", she smiled up at him. Even sitting on the bed, Legolas was still a bit taller than her. She yawned a bit, stretching. "I should get dressed and leave to my room, now." As he heard her words, the young prince childishly clung to her, playfully pleading, "Nooo, Tauriel! Don't leave me here." She burst into laughter. "I'll only be gone for a little while. Just to get dressed, and all.." "Alright.", he pouted kiddingly. And so she did, and they spent the next two days together, in the nearby village, around the palace, especially in Thranduil's throne room when it wasn't occupied. Until the first day of Tauriel's tutoring…

"Legolas, why aren't _you_ going for tutoring?", whined the red-headed elfling as the prince braided her hair. "Because I'm the king of Mirkwood's son. I sort of work on my own writing here in my chamber." Tauriel with a disappointed sigh, got off the bed, when Legolas had finished her hair. "How do I look?", she said twirling in front of him, so that he could get a full view of her in her school uniform. It was a simple, plain colored grey dress, with beautiful silver stitched patterns. Even the simplest things here were elegant! "Beautiful..", said Legolas, admiringly. There was a loud blow of a horn, which came from the nearby courtyard, signaling the beginning of the class. "I have to go.", said the she-elf sadly. "Don't you fear, Tauriel. I know you'll be fine." With one last quick embrace, the female elfling said goodbye, and headed down to the courtyard.

It was midday, and Legolas sat at his window side, practicing writing in Sindarin, until he looked out, into the courtyard. He saw something strange happening at the forest line, which bordered the area. There was a little red-headed elf running into the mass of trees. There seemed to be a great commotion..."Tauriel!", said the prince aloud. He made his way down the stairs and out to the courtyard. "Tauriel!", he shouted once again, but she kept on running. The blonde elf noticed something odd about her. Wait. Was she…_crying_? The she-elf finally stopped at one of the large oak trees, panting for air. The prince caught up to her, finally. "Tauriel, whatever is the matter?" The young she-elf choked back a sob "Come here." Said Legolas, his arms, spread slightly. Tauriel walked gratefully into them, pulling him as close as possible to herself. "Oh, Legolas.", she said sadly, resting her head on his chest. "What happened? Why are you upset?", he asked, stroking her hair soothingly. "Th-there was an elf..he called me rude names and insulted me.." Legolas pulled back slightly, looking Tauriel in the eyes. "I must know exactly who this elfling is.. What color is his hair?" "D-dark brown. Like the color of the tree bark." "Ah. What do you say? Let us go and confront this 'mean elf'?" Tauriel's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh, y-you don't really need to do that." "Well, that's exactly what we're going to do. Come along!" Ending their conversation, the princeling tugged at the other elfling's arm, and led them back to the courtyard. "So, when did this elf start being rude to you?", he said as they walked. "Well, he was whispering about me during class..and then he said some things to me during our rest hour, which leads up to now." "Well, I guess now is the time to give him a piece of my mind.", said the princeling as they arrived to the designated area.

Since it was still rest hour, all of the other elflings were out. There were about 15 of them, all around the courtyard, playing games and socializing. They all fell silent when Legolas appeared. Him being the king's son, everyone bowed their heads respectfully, acknowledging his presence. All except for one dark-brown haired elf boy, who looked at the king's son with great distaste. "Well. Hello Legolas. Oh, I'm sorry. Does the king's little son want me to bow down to him.", said the elf mockingly, causing an eruption of laughter among him and his friends. The princeling closed his eyes, but still kept a strange smile. "Ah, Bralomir. Always pleasant to see you. Now, I have a bit of a problem, if you don't mind me taking your time. I was told that you were behaving quite unfairly to my friend here.", he said, gesturing toward Tauriel. "Oh you mean that red-headed Silvan scum-" Beginning that sentence was Bralomir's major mistake, for Legolas' knee collided with his groin area with one swift movement. The brown-haired elf clutched his hurting area and collapsed to his knees, with a cry of pain. "Speak one more unkind word about Tauriel, and I will next strike your throat." The elf looked at the prince like he was some psychopath. "My father will hear of this.", threatened the elf. "Ha! As if your father, an elven guard, has any power over my father, the king of Mirkwood! You think you're somewhat important? I didn't think so. So go huff off like the coward you are, Bralomir." Legolas finished by shooing the elf away dismissively. Knowing better than to try his luck with the prince, Bralomir walked off. "You may all carry on.", announced Legolas. He turned to Tauriel, his expression softening. "Come with me."

"Legolas, where are we going?", asked the she-elf nervously, as the prince led her along, down a pathway, to an unknown area. "_I _shall show you how to defend yourself against elves like Bralomir.", he replied rather proudly. They arrived to a spacious field-like area, slightly beyond the courtyard. "This is the training area.", he said, gesturing to all the range. "Oh, I'm not so sure about this… I have never been fond of dangerous weapons. The only weapon that was in my dwelling belonged to my father, which was only for protection." "Well, if you're going to be living here in Mirkwood, you must learn to fight well. The prince led them to a large tent, which contained racks of swords, knives, daggers, and most important of all: bows and arrows. "This is only a small fraction of the kingdom's weapon supply. The rest are in the palace dungeons.", explained the blonde-haired elfling, as he pulled a medium-sized sword from one of the racks.

"Here.", he carefully handed the blade into Tauriel's hands. She grasped it, and instantly noted that it was slightly heavy. She roughly estimated that it was about three-fourths her height, if it were to be stood upward. "Wow…" The she-elf admired the blade in awe. "It is a simple combat blade. Not as powerful as a war sword, though. "Follow me." Legolas led her to a sort of fighting ring area, which was closed off. After the princeling closed the gate behind them, he helped Tauriel hold the sword correctly. "You grab it firmly from the hilt, and stand at a slight angle..", he instructed, while guiding her small hands with his own. Once he taught her the basic striking patterns, Legolas thought it was time for a dual between her and himself. "Let's have a dual!", he said almost cheerfully. "Are you sure? Shouldn't I perhaps practice with a false figure, at first?" "Nah.", Legolas waved her off. "What if I accidently hurt you?" She wore a worrisome look on her face. "Tauriel, it's going to be fine. I've been trained to defend myself since I was thirty-five. I'll be alright." Although both elflings had the image of human six-year-olds, they were actually about sixty-five. That was a plus of being an elf.

"A-alright..", Tauriel agreed reluctantly. The dual seemed to be going fine until the tip of Legolas' blade hit Tauriel's sword's hilt. "Ow!", she squeaked in pain. "Tauriel!" The blonde elf dropped his sword and hurried over to see if she was alright. She felt a burning sensation spread along the edge of the small gash, which ran along the back of her hand. The wound began to bleed a bit, and Tauriel began to panic. The princeling grabbed her hand gently and she winced. "I'm so, so sorry.", he repeated as he ripped a piece of his garment, and wrapped it around the red-headed elf's hand with great care. "Oh, Legolas you don't have to do-", "No, I must do this. This was thankfully only a minor wound. I could've seriously hurt you.. Pardon my clumsiness. I give you my dearest apologies.", Legolas held her hand gently, looking as downhearted as ever. "I understand if you no longer want to practice." He shied away from her gaze. It made Tauriel sad to see her dear friend like this, so she wanted to change that. "No, It's fine. Getting hurt is just a part of training." To top it off, she got on her tippy-toes, and planted a kiss on his cheek. He smiled instantly. Oh, how she knew how to cheer him up. "Let us try a different weapon.. How about a bow?" The prince nodded and they did so.

Of course, with the careful guidance of the prince, Tauriel was able to make a few good shots. She even hit the target once! The sun began to set, and Legolas took the she-elf back to the palace. His room, to be exact. Being familiar with the prince, the female elfling plopped herself down on the prince's bed. The blonde elf disappeared behind the shade screen to change into his night clothes "Thank you for teaching me how to fight, Legolas. Now I can defend myself from that pitiful Bralomir." , said the she elf, breaking the silence. "You're welcome.", replied the other elfling, stepping out of the changing area, clothed in white garments. "Here.", the princeling handed the she-elf her appropriate night-gown. "I was able to get it from your room.", he shrugged. Once Tauriel was changed she climbed into the spacious bed alongside Legolas (She had grown quite accustomed to that lately.). She turned to face him. "Thanks for saving me from that elf." "No problem. If he bothers you again, I'll make sure to punch his pretty little face." Both elflings giggled a bit. Tauriel moved over and hugged Legolas tight. "My hero…" With that, they fell asleep.

**A/N: Sorry if it took a while to update :/ It gets a little difficult to work during the week, but thank you all so much for reading! Please review, follow, favorite, etc.! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'll try my best to update as soon as whenever I can. So many ideas, such little time to write.. But here's the next chapter, there will be time-jumps later on. Enjoy!**

_Tauriel's tutoring continued for another two weeks. All seemed quite normal until this day.._

Both elves rose again one morning. Legolas did before Tauriel. "Tauriel, wake up!", shouted the young elf-boy. He jumped up and down at the end of the bed. The movement woke up the groggy she-elf. "What is it..", she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and paid attention to what he had to say. "My father has excused you and I from today's studies! That means we can do as we please! He even relieved me from my chores!" A huge grin appeared on her face as she got up. "That's fantastic! But where shall we spend our time today?" "Perhaps the forest?" "No." "How about the dungeon?" "Ew, no!" "Sorry... A-ha! Let's sneak around the palace! We haven't done that yet!" "Alright!" With that, the two elves got dressed with each other. Over the few weeks, Tauriel had grown used to that, and less paranoid. Plus, the prince was harmless. He spent most of his time trying to perfect his look in front of the mirror. They headed out the door, and down the elven halls.

Legolas motioned to her, and led her around the dim-lit corridors. There were a lot of sudden turns and twists. It was practically a maze, you would have to be experienced to know your way around. And that's exactly what the young prince knew. He had a mental map of where they were, for he had treaded those floors since he could walk upright. He heard footsteps coming near. "Quick, come along! The guards are approaching.", the blonde elf urged his friend into the nearest room, which happened to be a storage area. "Ew, there are a bunch of spiderwebs!", complained Tauriel. "Shh.." She quieted down. Once the footsteps faded, they crawled out, and continued walking. "Where are we exactly going?", asked the she-elf. "Hmm.. Well we haven't been to the throne room in a while.. How about we pay my father a visit", the princeling shed a mischievous smirk on his face. "Come on!" The two elflings made their way briskly down the halls, and Tauriel tried her best to keep up with the prince's stride. He had always seemed a bit faster that her from the very start.

After a bit of time, they finally arrived to the throne room. Although she had already seen it before, Tauriel was still astonished by how magnificent the enormous room was. It was slightly dome-shaped, with the pattern of trees branching in all areas, ultimately leading up the majestic throne. At the top of the large chair, sprouted a lengthy set of antlers, much like the ones on Thranduil's own elk. Speaking of Thranduil.. He wasn't there! The still silence was interrupted by a giggling Legolas. "Hey, Tauriel, Look at me!" The she-elf looked to see the prince lounging on the glorious throne. "_I am Thranduil, King of the twigs_!" The blonde-haired elf imitated his father's voice, trying to sound fierce. Tauriel couldn't help but burst into laughter. "C'mon, before someone hears us.", said the red-headed elfling. So they did. They made their way back to the prince's room, until they reached the kitchens…

Legolas stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Tauriel hopefully, as if asking permission to go in. "Legolas, no.", she said firmly. "I can't risk your reputation. You can't be seen as faulty just for raiding the kitchens." He shot her the most heart-wrenching of all puppy eyes. "Pweeease? But it's the first place I took you to when we met." His expression looked hurt, and although she knew he was kidding, Tauriel still found it incredibly adorable. His puppy eyes seemed to intensify, and he pouted. She finally gave in. "Oh, fine. But let's only nick ourselves a snack or two." His pout cracked into a smile, and they both dashed into the room. There was a fresh batch of dinner rolls out of the oven, which had cooled off, so they managed to get a few of those. The elflings dashed as fast as they could to the princeling's chamber.

They got there within a few minutes of running, and plopped themselves onto the bed. Tauriel took a bite of the roll. "Mmm." It tasted the buttery, and the crust was flakey. By the time she had finished the first roll, she saw that Legolas stuffed his mouth with about five of them. _'What a pig!'_, she thought to herself. _'But a charming, funny, kind pig, none the less.' _She chuckled as the devoured another roll. Once they had finished up their snack, someone knocked on the door, and entered. It was a guard. "Greetings, my Lord Legolas.", the light brown haired guard bowed respectfully to Legolas. "Yes?" "Your father requests to see both you and the young Maiden Tauriel immediately in his throne room." "For what purpose?" the elf-boy looked a bit puzzled. "He had no reason. He just had that request. "Nothing more." "..Alright, we shall be there in a moment. With that, the guard bowed again, and exited the room. "What do you think is going on?", asked the she-elf. The prince shrugged, and they headed on to see the king.

"Ah, hello Legolas..", greeted king Thranduil. "..Tauriel.." The red-haired elf bowed in greeting, still quite perplexed about what they were there for. "Ada, why have you summoned us?", asked the young princeling. "You shall see. Let me speak.. So, young Tauriel, as I see you have settled quite nicely, I have made arrangements with a my dear friend, Lord Elrond, about your.. _situation._ Legolas, you've met Lord Elrond before, haven't you?" The prince nodded. " Where was I.. Oh, yes. I have made arrangements for you to stay with him in the city of Rivendell, where he shall teach you the Sindarin language and history. You are also to train a bit with weapons, and study the other races of the land." Still trying to process what the king had said, little Tauriel began to ask, "H-how long will my stay be, exactly, My King?" "A few years, perhaps. A very small period of time for an elf, really." Legolas interrupted suddenly, "_Years?!_ Why so long, Ada? Why can't I go with her? I could use some brushing up on my Sindarin-", " Son, I know that you and young Tauriel have formed a strong bond, but you and I are aware that you have your duties here in Mirkwood. You are a elven prince, only at the young age of sixty-three, and you must stay here to learn more." Hearing his father's words, Legolas looked down sullenly, with a sigh of disappointment. "When shall I depart?", said the young she-elf, breaking the silence. "Tomorrow, by daybreak. I will have one of my highest ranking guards accompany you there by wagon. I recommend you start packing your belongings. You two are dismissed.

And so they left, briskly. "Would you like me to help you pack?", asked the prince, sadly. "Yes, please." There was no emotion in Tauriel's voice. She was utterly heartbroken, having to leave her brand new home, and her beloved friend. The elflings walked in silence, until they arrived to the she-elf's room. She saw that a finely designed sack was left on her bed, most likely for her items. The elflings emptied the closet and drawers from all of their contents. When they had accomplished their task, both of them sat side by side on the soft bed. "I don't want to go..", said Tauriel finally. "I know", replied the princeling. She leaned gently on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. This seemed to comfort her a bit, for she relaxed under his touch. "I wish I could stay here forever, so we could live in happiness, and go on all sorts of adventures." Legolas looked at her, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't fret. You shall return in a period of time." He himself tried to swallow a small lump which had formed in his throat. "I should go to bed..", he said, after a while. The blonde elf got up and made his way toward the door. "Wait!", cried the she-elf. He whipped around, to the source of the sound. "Could you...stay here? Please, just for the night." His gaze softened. "Of course." He moved the now-full bag down to the floor, and climbed into the bed alongside the redheaded elf. She hugged him close, as if he was the only thing that mattered, which in reality, he was. And they slept like that, soundly.

Rising up the next morning wasn't an easy task for either of them. Tauriel wept, and Legolas tried his best not to. Once the luggage was loaded to the horse-driven wagon, it was finally time to say farewell.. at least for a while. The female elf, who was now a puffy-eyed mess, went up to the prince to say goodbye. "Come here." The boy spread his arms open, and Tauriel gladly walked into them. "Be good, okay? Promise you won't get into too much trouble without me." This remark brought a small smile to the she-elf's face. "You too." Legolas hugged her close, and leaned in, to plant a small peck on her forehead. They pulled apart, and the guard helped Tauriel board the wagon. Legolas went to stand by his father, who was there nearby. When the wagon finally started moving, Tauriel turned and waved goodbye to the prince and king. Legolas waved back, tears brimming his eyes, threatening to spill. "Do you think she'll be alright, Ada?" King Thranduil looked down to his son. "I am _sure_ of it."

**A/N: Don't worry, it doesn't end there! I'll try to update soon. Remember to favorite, follow, and review. Thanks for reading! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Like I said, there will be time jumps, but I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

The young elven prince lurked silently in the Mirkwood forest, looking for the next animal to bring down. Having his bow and arrow at the ready, Legolas spotted an auburn-colored wild rabbit. The small creature stood a few yards away, unaware of the elf's presence. From behind the large tree, the prince raised his bow, and aimed for the animal. He was about to let the arrow fly until- _Crack_. He still shot, but the rabbit sprung away just in time. "Ugh!", the young elf, no longer an elfling, groaned in frustration. He looked down to look over what he had hunted that day, until he heard an oddly familiar voice. "Your skills are growing shabby, my Lord." He froze, trying to pinpoint who the voice belonged to, and from out of the shadows came out a familiar read-haired elf. "Tauriel!", the blonde almost leaped with joy as he went over quickly to hug his friend. "Oh, my… You look like a proper elleth! What happened to you?!" The she-elf laughed at his comment, and twirled in her dark-green dress, which she was wearing. "I was returning to the palace with Elrond, and I saw you here, so I decided to surprise you. Hey, you don't look the same, either." "Yea. Ada wanted me to act more royal and fierce to make me look like a 'real prince', so I go hunting often now." "Ah, I see.. Well, I hope you haven't gotten into too much mischief without me.", said the elleth. Legolas chuckled. "Yes, I'm not the little idiotic elfling you met forty years ago.. "My, my, has it really been that long?"

Tauriel gasped, suddenly, as a large figure walked into sight behind the prince. It was a large, white horse! "Oh, don't be frightened. This is Nimroch, my horse. I got him from my father in my ninetieth birthday. I was getting a bit too big to ride with him on his elk. He's quite gentle, though." The horse nickered softly, nuzzling into the she-elf's crimson-colored hair. "He seems to like you!", Legolas laughed. "Elrond is probably at the palace, by now. We should get back before Thranduil begins to worry. Does your steed happen to have room for two?" "Of course!", the prince smiled warmly, and he helped his friend onto the snow-colored horse. With a simple _'Ya!'_, the creature began to gallop through the woods.

After about twenty minutes of the sound of thudding hooves, they finally arrived to the palace in the side of the hill. One guard was there to receive the prince's horse, and Legolas thanked him. They made their way into the majestic building, to the king's throne room. There, Lord Elrond and Thranduil were holding a conversation. Tauriel bowed respectfully before the king, and he hugged her gladly. "Ah, Tauriel, 'Maiden of the Forest', how god it is to see you!" Although he looked menacing, Thranduil was delighted to see her. "My, you have grown into a beautiful young elleth. Lord Elrond was telling me how well you have done in your studies and practices." "Thank you, King Thranduil!", she gave a small curtsy, beaming happily. "Seeing that it will soon be your one hundredth birth date tomorrow, Tauriel,", began Elrond. "Thranduil is planning to hold a special gathering for you as a welcoming party, as well as a birthday celebration." Tauriel grinned cheerfully, and hugged the king out of happiness. "Thank you!" The king smiled down at the elleth, and gently cupped her cheek. "You're very welcome." He planted a small kiss on her head. "Now, you two. It is getting late, and you must get to bed." "Can Tauriel stay with me, just like when we were younger?", asked the princeling hopefully. The king nodded, allowing them to do as they pleased. With that, the young elves made their way to the prince's chambers.

"Ahh, it feels good to be back!", Tauriel yawned as she threw herself onto Legolas' bed. "It's just how I remember it!" The elleth snuggled into the fluffy blanket, breathed in the familiar scent. It smelled of sun-bathed flowers, and dew-covered grass. And of course, Legolas. The prince laid down next to her, with a sigh of relief. "It's good to have you back, Tauriel. I missed you." The she-elf nuzzled into his shoulder. "I missed you, too, you dumb-headed prince of the twigs." This made Legolas smile. He still had his adventure-loving friend. He sort of sprang at her and pulled her into an attack hug. He really _did _miss her.

"Legolas! That tickled!" The blonde ignored her and still kept his grip, relishing her presence. "I hope you never have to leave again.. Oh, I almost forgot!" He pulled a small box from his pocket, and presented it to her. "Open it.", and so she did. Inside, there was a silver necklace, with a beautifully-shaped pendent, which included one, diamond-like jewel. "It's absolutely beautiful, Legolas. Thank you!" "It's Starlight. Here, let me help you put it on." With delicate hands, the elf-boy clasped the necklace around her neck. "There." She smiled happily, and hugged him close. "You're the best.." On her tippy-toes, she reached up, and kissed his cheek. Like the times before, when she had kissed him, Legolas blushed like mad.

"Here, let me get you some nightclothes, _Lady Tauriel_." The princeling bowed dramatically, as if she was like some sort of goddess. From his drawers, he retrieved a night shirt and pants. Sorry they're not yours, but I think they'll fit you.", he smiled, remembering how little Tauriel had to sleep in his pajamas the first time she had stayed with him. "I guess some things never change." Like usual, Tauriel changed into the pajamas, and went over to the bed to join Legolas.

"I don't feel like sleeping, yet.", he said, undoing his braids, which made his hair fall into his eyes. " I feel as if we have a lot to talk about." "I know." She sat down next to him, and began playing with his hair absentmindedly. "So how was Rivendell?" "It was nice. Was able to see the beautiful view of Elrond's palace. It was a bit smaller than this one.. What about you, how have you been?" "I've been doing well, practicing my weaponry skills, so I don't nick your hand again." This made Tauriel laugh, remembering that incident. The cut had already healed, leaving a faint scar."Are you excited about your party tomorrow?" "Yes." "You know, there will be some dancing.." "Dancing? I don't really dance. Except for that one night on the day we met." "Don't worry, I can walk you through it later on. Plus, the party will be held in the evening. So we have the day to ourselves." "Yay!"

Tauriel giggled as the finished up her 'project' that she had made out of Legolas' hair. "What are you doing to my hair?" He got up, and looked into his mirror. "Oh..my..goodness...", his jaw dropped as he saw what had become of his precious locks. The red-headed elleth had made several messy loose braids, and weaved them together, all different sizes, to make one giant mess of a braid. "My hair.." "There you go, twig prince!", Tauriel burst into laughter as the prince rapidly undid the braid.

"That's enough fun for today,", he yawned. "I'm tired." The she-elf also yawned, the sleep was getting to her, and so they both got under the covers, and blew out the candle. Tauriel snuggled close to Legolas, enjoying his warmth, and he wrapped his arms around her. Finally, as they did years ago, they slipped into a deep sleep, in each other's arms…

**A/N: I hope you liked it! I'll update as soon as I can. Remember to favorite, follow, and review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Augh! So little time to write during the week. I normally take a one-day break once I finish every chapter, then I work on the next one. It takes about two to four days to create a chapter, for me, so yea. I'll stop blabbing about this to you guys, and get to the story. Enjoy! **

Morning came quick. Tauriel was the first to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open, and she noticed that she was in a tight embrace. The memories of the past evening came flooding back into her mind. "Legolas..", she whispered softly, her voice like a gentle breeze. The elf boy stirred, opening his sleepy eyes. "Tauriel.." He leaned his head on her shoulder, drowsily, obviously wanting to go back to sleep. "It's time to rise.. If you want to go out today before the celebration." At hearing these words, the prince perked up, forgetting his sleepiness. "Alright." And so the two elves got up , and prepared themselves for the day.

When they were finally dressed and ready, Legolas led Tauriel down the familiar elven halls. "Where are we going?", she asked curiously. "You'll see." They stopped at the kitchen doors and the prince entered the room. Shortly, he emerged with a basket full of goodies. "Legolas, you _cannot possibly_ make this an everyday habit!" The blonde shrugged, coolly. "I actually _planned_ for this basket to be prepared. No worries." "Alright, alright.." He walked on, and she followed him obligingly. She walked at his lead, until they arrived to a quiet spot in the forest, along the waterfall lake. Legolas swiftly laid out their meal on a simple blanket. It included several Elvish foods. Mostly of the breakfast category. "Oh my goodness.._Legolas_." The male elf flushed with pleasure when he heard the praise, and looked very proud of his work. "I just wanted to personally welcome you back to Mirkwood, you know, since you've been gone." Tauriel smiled, and walked over to hug her friend. "You treat me so nicely. How can I ever thank you?" The elf boy smiled, and accepted his friend's embrace. "Let's get to the food, before it turns cold." So they sat down to eat.

They were about halfway done with their meal, when Tauriel spotted something floating in the lake. "Look Legolas, a water lily!" Both elves went over to the water's edge. Tauriel reached as far as she could to grasp the flower, with the elf-boy steadying her by the sides, almost falling into the water themselves. She was finally able to grab ahold of the beautiful lily and took some time to admire it. "Here.", Legolas got the water lily and placed it in Tauriel's hair. "It looks good on you, birthday girl." The she-elf smiled at the compliment. "Say, have you ever gone swimming here?", asked the prince. Tauriel shook her head, no. "Well, come on! Let's go." He began to shed off his clothing, including his shoes, leaving him only with undergarments. The red-haired elf did the same. Legolas led her to a large tree, which had a branch that led out over the water.

He took Tauriel's hand in his. "When I say 'jump', we leap in, okay?" She nodded obediently. "Jump!" With a big _splash_, they landed in the lake, disturbing the otherwise calm water. After a few seconds of being submerged, they both came up for air. "You*huff*cease*huff* to amaze me..", Tauriel said as she tried to catch her breath. He smiled cheerfully, and grabbed her arm, leading her to the waterfall. "There's a special place here." He led her under the waterfall, revealing a small cave-like room. "Woah..", her eyes widened in awe. The room wasn't icky, crawling with bugs, it was quite comfortable and cozy. There was a chunk of amber imbedded in the cave wall, like the kind in the palace, which served as a nice form of light. She admired the beautiful area, and the sun that glistened in the waterfall. "I sometimes come here when I want to be alone.", said the princeling. "I guess I don't really need to anymore." Tauriel hugged her friend, and he fixed the flower in her hair, which had almost fallen off.

There was the sound of loud hoof beats outside, and the elves went out to investigate. "Nimroch?" Legolas and Tauriel crossed the lake, slipped into their clothing, and walked over to the white horse. "I thought that you were in the stables, unless.. Oh, no. Here comes trouble.." Out from the forest came a familiar brown-haired snarky elf. _Bralomir_. "Yes, I set your horse free, Lord Legolas. I knew he would know where to find you, and I see that you are with your filthy Silvan elf friend. Tauriel interjected immediately, stepping forward to him. "Leave him alone, you scum!" "Oh, pardon my misuse of words. Filthy Silvan elf _girlfriend._" That was it. A wave of anger washed over the she-elf, and before she knew it, she punched the elf straight in the face." "Ow! What the hell is wrong with you!? You just hit me in the face!" "Please, don't state the obvious. I could have done much worse, you're not even bleeding from the nose.", remarked Tauriel. "Now get out of here, you weasel!" The elf fled swiftly, without another word. "Woah.." Legolas processed what had just happened. Tauriel really _had_ matured. "Where did you learn _that_?" "Arwen, Lord Elrond's daughter." "_Arwen? Really?_" "Yes. She taught me how to defend myself a bit more from people like Bralomir." "But I thought that was _my_ job!", the Elvish prince pouted. "Oh, you're always my number one elf!" She hugged him happily. "Now, don't we have a party to get to?" Legolas smiled and with that, they rode off back to the palace.

Both elves went to Tauriel's room. "What are you going to wear, _my lady_?", asked the blonde. The she elf laughed as she looked through her dresses in the closet. "I don't know…Aha! How about this?" She pulled out a stunning, yet serene light-green, almost white dress. It wasn't too heavy, and quite elegant. The prince nodded in approval, so the elleth went to try it on herself. Not long later, she came out, and twirled quite gracefully. Legolas couldn't help but stare, and notice how lovely she looked in her attire. "Y-you look beautiful..", he stammered, face blushing furiously. "Thank you.", she began to undo the water lily flower from her hair, putting it on her dresser, and replacing it with the hair adornment the princeling had given her forty years back. "I see you've kept that.", the prince smiled warmly, remembering how Tauriel had acquired the hair clip. "Will you be going to the celebration, too?", the red-headed elleth turned to him. "Of course, to see my favorite elleth on her special day." The she-elf leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling happily. "You should get downstairs to the throne room, where the party will be at. I'll join you after I am dressed properly." "Alright." So they went their separate ways.

On his way to his room, Legolas was confronted by a certain elf for a second time. "Who let you to this part of the palace, Bralomir?!", demanded the prince. "I managed to sneak past your stupid guards, prince." "I could report you to-" "Oh your Ada? You think tattling of to your father is going to stop me? Mirkwood deserves a stronger prince than a little sprite like _you_." Legolas was taken aback, at hearing these offensive words. "Oh, did the little woodland sprite get his feelings hurt? Is he going to go cry to his Silvan-scum girlfriend?", said the elf mockingly. Anger boiled deep inside the princeling and pinned Bralomir against the wall by the shoulders, then began to speak softly, yet furiously. "Look, you little piece of crap, I'm going to greatly injure you, leaving you crippled, and I will make it look like an accident_. _Leave Tauriel and I alone or I will fulfill this task of mine_, understand?!_" Beginning to feel a great pain in his shoulders, Bralomir backed off, leaving the prince. Legolas then resumed what he was doing.

When he arrived to his father's throne room, he was greeted respectfully by many other elves. Even Tauriel gave him a small bow. "Well, _someone_ looks rather dashing." He grinned cheerfully at the compliment. He was dressed in his deep-green uniform, appearing quite professional. Both him and she made their way to sit in either side of King Thranduil, who was of course, on his great throne. "Welcome, welcome everyone.", his voice was heard all around the room, silencing the chattering. "As you all may know, this evening we are celebrating the return of our young maiden, Tauriel, and honoring her birthday. With that said, let the first dance with the maiden begin." Tauriel nervously made her way into the center of the area which had been set for her. Nobody was there, so she began to panic. But soon, without a doubt, Legolas came to her side, taking her by the hand. "Follow my lead.", he said under his breath. The music began to play, and Legolas moved his feet to the rhythm. Tauriel did her best to follow, and soon got the hang of it. This was no slow-dance song, but it certainly was graceful. The melody was soft, yet fast, which made it all that much better. The song finally ended with the prince dipping her, and they both giggled like their young selves. Everyone clapped, and a new song started, this time with everyone included.

The two elves decided to sneak away to one of the tables which was laden with all kinds of Elvish goodies: bread, pastries, drinks, and several other dishes. They enjoyed the sweets, laughing at each other when one of them got crumbs all over their mouth. The night was full of dancing, eating, and singing. There was even a wine-drinking contest, which of course, Thranduil won. The king even had a dance with Tauriel, which was funny, because Thranduil had to carry her most of the time. For that evening, everyone was in high spirits. Even the normally mean-looking king seemed to be filled with glee. And if _he_ seemed happy, you can only guess how Legolas was. The prince was a bit of a cheerful ball of fun. He participated in a lot of dancing and singing. Once everything had died down, it was already midnight. But that didn't stop all the elves from continuing the party. Almost everybody was drunk with wine, and somehow, Thranduil's elk wound up in the room. The prince happened to get ahold of a small bottle of wine and two glasses, and went up to Tauriel. "Care for a drink, my lady?" She was a bit shocked to be offered a drink, but accepted it gladly. They both found out why young elves weren't supposed to drink wine. It made them quite drowsy quickly. Yet, they still continued to party for another hour. At around that time, it was time to wrap up, and almost everyone was either passed out, or gone. Even Thranduil seemed a bit tipsy. The tables and floor had been cleaned, so the young elves decided to call it a night. "Thank you, my Lord Thranduil*hic* for holding this celebration for me." "Legolas, did you give her wine? I told you before-" "I know,*hic* I know..", interrupted the princeling. Not even listening to the rest of his dad's sentence, he marched away with Tauriel. Thranduil chuckled, "Oh, little ones. If only you two could stay young forever.."

The young ones made it to the prince's chamber, giggling like elflings. "That was a *hic* great party." "Haha! You're *hic* hiccupping." They both started giggling. Legolas look Tauriel's hands, and led her around, as if they were dancing again. He stopped suddenly, taking a good look at her nice hazel-green eyes. Absentmindedly, he leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her cheek, then one on her forehead. "Happy birthday Tauriel." She grinned cheerfully. "Thank you." They both smiled happily, hugging one-another. They were too tired to change into nightclothes, so they simply stripped down to their undergarments, which for Legolas was his longish-boxers and an undershirt. For Tauriel, she undressed to her top undergarments and underwear. She was able to snatch one of Legolas' night shirts, which was pretty long. They climbed into bed, embracing each other once again, in a ball of warmth. "Goodnight, Legolas." "Goodnight, Tauriel."

**A/N: A bit of fluff at the end! So turns out that Thranduil is pretty much the Gatsby of the elf-world. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading. Make sure to favorite, follow, and review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the delayed update! I've been on Tumblr a lot lately.. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

_The next few weeks were very enjoyable for both of the young elves. They re-explored the places they had visited when they were elflings, and got to know each other better. Tauriel's personal favorite place to go with Legolas was the woods. It always seemed to be peaceful there, and it happened to be where they were at the moment…_

"Legolas!", laughing, the redheaded elleth ran after the prince, her spring-green summer dress skirt floundering behind her. "You'll never catch me!", shouted the blonde, scampering through the wooded area. Originally, the elves were out riding Nimroch, but it somehow became a game of tag. Finally, with a lot of effort, Tauriel finally got ahold of the prince, grabbing him by the waist. "Ahh!" With a yelp of surprise from the prince, both of them tumbled down into the soft grass. They broke out into a fit of giggles. "I got you.", said the she elf, who was on top of Legolas. "Let me up!", said the prince. And so she did. "Hey.. This means that _you're_ it!" This caused the girl to instantly hop to her feet, and continue running. She cried out in astonishment when she was taken down. "That wasn't fair, Legolas! I should've had a head-start!" Once again the elves found themselves laughing. "I wasn't trying to be fair!" , the prince remarked smartly. This time he was on top of Tauriel. The elleth had a plan. Quickly, she tackled him, ending up on top. "Not trying to be fair, eh?" Caught off guard, the prince had no response, until Tauriel started to tickle him. A series of sounds erupted from his mouth, making the elleth trying her best not to giggle. "T- tauriel! That t-tickles!" Once again, the elves tumbled over, and Legolas returned the favor.

When they switch around a bit more, and had finished they wound up on the floor, out of breath. "You're such a funny elf..", said Tauriel, her head resting on the blonde-elf's chest. "I can't be funny without you." At hearing these words, the elleth flushed a bright rosy color. "Is that…a blush?", asked the prince knowingly. All she did was smile. Legolas couldn't help but smile back. Seeing Tauriel like this made him feel as light as a cloud. It was nice to have a dear person like her. "It's time to call Nimroch back.", he said finally. He stood up and whistled. Within seconds, the obedient steed came trotting into sight. "Who's a good boy? You are!" Legolas praised the horse, caressing its neck, and it nickered happily. "He's beautiful.", said Tauriel. "I saw horses like him in Rivendell. They were very gentle. Lord Elrond let me ride some of them whenever I was done with my schoolwork." She smiled, petting the large animal. "Speaking of Lord Elrond,", said Legolas. "He has been here in Mirkwood for a while.. Do you think there's something wrong?" "No. Your father and him are probably just discussing things, like the beings outside of the Woodland Realm." "You mean like Dwarves and Humans?" "Perhaps… Legolas?", asked the elleth, her voice dropping to a serious tone. "What is it?" "Did they ever find…the orcs who attacked my town?" Legolas looked down sadly. "I am afraid not.. But we are still looking for them, and if there is any word of them, I assure you that my father will take action with his warriors." To comfort his friend, he cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. This was a very rare and affectionate gesture amongst Elves, but it didn't matter to Legolas.

The peaceful sounds of the forest were disturbed by the loud blow of a horn. "That came from the guards.. We must head back. It was my father most likely calling us to return." They both mounted Nimroch, and rode to the palace. They arrived, dismounting the horse, and heading to the throne room. When they got there, King Thranduil was waiting patiently, with Lord Elrond at his side. "You called, Ada?", said the prince. Tauriel bowed her head in greeting to both Lords. "Yes, son. I must advise you of something Lord Elrond and I have been discussing." Both of the young elves looked at each other nervously, and paid attention to the king. "Legolas, I have been planning to send you to Rivendell, like I did with Tauriel, for you to focus on your studies. Meanwhile, Tauriel will be staying here to train to be better with weapons. Any comments from either of you?" Tauriel, astonished, trying to process what was happening, stood silently. _"What?!"_, the blonde prince said, taken aback. "But we've only just been able to be together for about a _month_! How can you ask me to leave when I've only been able to get to know her again?!" Legolas seemed very upset, a mixture of disbelief and sadness with a touch of anger. "My Lord Legolas, your father and I think that it is best for you to pursue your education, and for the Maiden Tauriel to improve her weaponry skills. It will only be a bit of a longer period of time than the last time you two were separated. "This is madness! So soon? Why?!", young Legolas demanded, trying to make sense of things, but they just wouldn't click. "Son, this is for your-" " 'Own good'?! I've heard that a million times, Ada. Why now?", the prince cut off his father. He was obviously enraged, and almost at the verge of tears. "Say no more. You will be leaving tomorrow.", Thranduil said sternly. The king felt guilty being like this to his son, but it really _was_ for his own good. Legolas had enough. He turned swiftly, leaving to his chambers. "Legolas-", Tauriel cried out after the elf, and followed him.

When the prince arrived to his bedroom, he let out a yell of frustration, kicking his bedframe. His hand clutched the bedpost, nails digging into the polished wood as single tear fell from his eye, and he let out a choked sob. His entire body trembled with emotion, but then the entire act stopped when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. "Tauriel.." Legolas instantly knew who this was. The prince turned to see that he was indeed correct. Her sad, yet pretty face seemed to silence him. She too had tears which had cascaded down her pink cheeks. They both embraced. "I don't want to go..", said the blonde elf, his voice slightly muffled since he buried his head into Tauriel's shoulder. "I know.." They were now on the bed, crying together, holding each other close. Once the main wave of emotion was over, they relaxed a bit, still clinging onto each other. "I always wished just to say with you as long as possible and be happy..", said the prince, sniffling. "It's alright.. We'll be able to see each other soon. I promise, my Prince." Legolas just held onto her, breathing in her sweet scent. She smelled of the freshly bloomed flowers of the springtime, and the dew-covered grass. He really was going to miss that.. The elleth, wanting to comfort the elf, pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to his cheek. "I'm going to miss the little things like that. I just wish that we didn't have to wait so long.." It was already nightfall, so they decided to go to sleep, cuddled up with each other.

The night was restful, but the daylight came and chased them down, and both of them wished that it would've arrived later. It wasn't easy at all to get up. Much less pack and head to the horse-drawn wagon. The goodbye was a bit teary, but Legolas was able to get through it. "Ada.", he nodded goodbye to his father respectfully. Thranduil accepted the gesture kindly, and nodded back. The prince went on to Tauriel. "Well, goodbye Tauriel. I hope to see you soon." He hugged her affectionately, and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. The blonde elf stayed there for a minute, embracing his dear friend. "Don't get into too much mischief without me, elleth.", he smiled sadly, and she cracked a small smile back. It was finally time to board the wagon alongside Lord Elrond. Once the horses at the front started trotting, and carriage began to move, Legolas looked back and waved to his friend and his father. "Goodbye, Legolas. See you soon..", Tauriel whispered as she waved back gloomily and soon, the wagon was out of sight..

**A/N: Don't worry! It doesn't end there! I'll try to update soon, so bear with me. Thank you so much for reading, and remember to favorite, follow, and review! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: New chapter! Sorry for the wait, but enjoy!**

The hooded Elven prince held tight to his horse's reins as the animal galloped swiftly through the wooded forest. It had been a long time since he had been in this ancient forest, 70 years to be exact. And he was now 170 years old, my how the time had gone by! But Legolas was worrisome. There was something important on his mind. _"Ada, why couldn't you just help the damn dwarves?"_, he cursed under his breath. While he was at Rivendell, there was a slight conflict, and the great dragon, Smaug, had attacked Dale and Erebor, which was the land of the dwarves. But although the king was there with his army, he refused to come to their aid. Legolas was irritated. Why had his father not helped the dwarves who were clearly in need? There have better been a good explanation for this…

Still, the prince and his horse treaded on, only with the faint sound of hoof beats. Out of nowhere, the grand steed stopped abruptly, whining warningly. "Nimroch, _ya_!" It was no use. Even softly kicking at the flanks didn't get the horse to budge. The beast reared up, letting out a cry once again. Soon, Legolas found out why the horse was afraid. He was soon tackled, and taken down by an armored figure. The attire seemed to be quite Elven..how familiar. "Unhand me!", he yelled, struggling against the weight of the man..or elf above him. _"Who are you?! Show yourself, in the name of the king of Mirkwood!", _Barked the being_. _Legolas recognized these rapid words as Sindarin, and he instantly began to thrash in the mystery elf's grasp, until he saw a certain pendant hanging from its neck. _Pure starlight_. He knew what that gem was and who it belonged to, for he had given it the elf, himself! "Tauriel!", he slipped his hand out, removing his hood. The elleth on top of him quickly scrambled to get off. She removed her finely made helmet, releasing her long, crimson colored hair. "My Lord," she bowed down respectfully. "My dearest apologies. I did not recognize you.." "Now, what have I told you about calling me that..?" The she-elf looked up, smiling shyly, and the prince enveloped her in a strong embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. The prince smelled of the flowers in Rivendell, fresh as the springtime. "You've become very beautiful, Tauriel..", said the prince softly. This remark made the elleth blush furiously. "You have become very handsome yourself.." Legolas smiled.

"What are you doing around here?", he asked parting, and taking her hands into his. "I am the captain of the Elven guard now. King Thranduil promoted me about 10 years ago..", the elleth still seemed a bit shy, which was quite odd to the prince since he had last seen her as a bright-spirited young elf. "Hey, Tauriel. What is the matter? You seem quiet.", Legolas seemed concerned, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing. It's just that I really missed you.", Tauriel embraced him once again, perfectly tucking her head under his chin. "I missed you too.", he replied, placing a protective hand on her waist. The elleth jumped at the sudden touch in that area. "S-sorry!", stuttered the flushing male-elf. "I-I didn't mean to- It's just that-" "Shh..", the she-elf stopped the boy's blabbering by placing a gentle finger on his lips. "It's alright." Still flushing a bright rosy color, the prince nodded. Why on earth was he acting this way? It occurred to Legolas that his dear friend most likely wasn't aware of the conflict between the dwarves and Elves, by the look of her actions. I take his mind off of things, Legolas decided to do something with Tauriel. "Want to go to the lake?" She looked surprised. "Legolas, I'm on duty. I cannot possibly leave my occupation." "Oh, c'mon. We've been sneaking around since we were elflings.", the boy pulled hopefully at her arm, and she finally gave in. "Alright.", she said with a huff.

Excitedly, he helped her mount Nimroch, and they rode to the lake. When they got there, Tauriel was amazed. "I haven't been here since we were in our 100's..", she turned to him, but he was looking blankly at the water, with a lost expression. "Legolas?" "Yes?", he perked up instantly, but the truth was, the rivalry between his father and the dwarves was bothering him. "What is wrong?", the elleth asked. "Nothing. Come along, I think I spotted some water lilies on the bank. Tauriel noticed a change in the prince's behavior. Was there something bothering him? She still decided to follow him. Once they were at the edge of the water, Tauriel peered in, looking at her reflection. She saw herself, and thought at how far she had come from just being a small, meek elfling. Legolas stood at her side, scooping up some of the crystal-clear water, and bringing it up to his mouth to drink. He pondered about the great burden that was haunting him. What would Tauriel think? Should he tell her the truth? No. Impossible. She'd surely turn away from his father and most likely him for not telling her about any of this. Tauriel sensed his discomfort. What was going on?! He wasn't acting the same happy-go-lucky way he had always been.. He was hiding something.. He _was_ holding back, but _what_ exactly was it?

Tauriel was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't know that the elf had left her side. She looked up to see the Elven prince on the large branch of the oak, getting a running head start, then plunging into the cool water below. "Legolas!", the elleth went to the area where he had fallen, and leaned close to the water, searching for him. Little did she know that he was right there in front of her, underwater. The princeling shot out of the water, grabbing ahold of her. "Eeek", the she-elf yelped in surprise as she, too was plunged into the cold water. The shock of the cool water on her skin caused her to scramble right out of there, pulling herself onto the dry land, still dripping wet. Legolas, who had also gotten out bawled out a cry of laughter. He giggled so much that his sides began to hurt. "You should have seen your face!" Tauriel's only response to that was to push the blonde back into the water, which then made her laugh.

Once they had finished laughing, and dried themselves off, Legolas and the elleth strolled to the open meadow-like area. He had another idea.. The prince tackled the girl down playfully into the soft grass, like when they were younger. "Gotcha!" Tauriel returned the favor, bringing him down. "Pinned ya!" They giggled and repeated this, until Legolas was finally back on top. "Not too shabby, elleth!", he laughed in victory, until Tauriel reached up, and planted a soft kiss on his pale cheek. That seemed to shut him up and of course, his face turned a pinkish color. Blushing furiously, he laid down next to his friend, looking up at the now night sky. He tried to count as many stars as he could, but then reminded himself about his father and the dwarves. "We should go, now. My father might worry about us." "I know.", said the she-elf. She whistled, which led to a dapple-grey horse trotting to her side. "Legolas, this is Peguimith, my horse." Legolas gingerly reached up to pet the beautiful horse. He himself whistled out for Nimroch to return, and he did. The two horses greeted, and let their masters mount them, then galloped back to the palace.

Of course, Thranduil was there to warmly welcome his son back, but the prince had other things on his mind.. Pulling his father aside, he began to speak. "Ada, why didn't you help those dwarves?" "A 'Hello Father' would have been nice, but if you want the reason, it is because I was not about to spend so much Elvish blood on that kingdom.", Thranduil shot back at his son. "But Ada, you had your army _right there_! If you would have used them, then there wouldn't be any rivalry between the dwarves and us!" "Son, you do not understand. Our people have suffered greatly in past wars, and we have lost many things. Yes, I was there to aid them, but a dragon was too cumbersome of a beast for even our army. I simply wouldn't kill off my men for nothing." "Ada, but those dwarves _needed_ your help, and you just left them there to die when you could have clearly helped save them and Dale! Perhaps a distraction for the deadly dragon." The king grew irritated. "Legolas, do not question my actions!", he raised his voice sternly, which quieted the elf. "Look,", his voice grew softer. "I meant to help those dwarves. I honestly did. But a dragon would have greatly damaged us. The king's face melted away, showing a wound which was caused by a beast several years back, and the prince gasped. He quickly changed back. "I could never bring harm to you or our people, Legolas. I promised to your mother that I would protect you.." A lump formed in Legolas' throat at the mention of his mother. "Ada.." His father embraced him softly, yet caringly. "Go rest, son. You have had a tiresome journey." The prince did as he was told.

When he got to his chambers, he noticed that Tauriel was seated on his bed, reading one of his books. "Oh, I didn't mean to seem to intrude!", she hopped down from the bed, closing the book immediately. It was his journal that he wrote in while he was in Rivendell. The servants must have brought his bags from his horse to here. "It is alright." He walked over to her, giving her a hug. She was dressed in an elegant white nightgown, which led to her calves and her hair was in one messy, yet cute braid. "Will you be.. staying here tonight?", he asked nervously. Tauriel nodded. "If you'd like. I do enjoy your company, and the past years have been a bit lonely for me.." Legolas smiled, and then got dressed into his night clothes.

When he got into his bed, he laid down with the elleth, hugging her from behind. She turned to face him, and planting a kiss on his forehead, wished him goodnight. For the first time in several years, Legolas felt at peace and they both drifted off to sleep in each other's embrace.

**A/N: Well, there you go! Sorry for the time jump :/ But I still hope you all enjoyed reading. Please remember to favorite, follow, and review, thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yay! New chapter. I was feeling like coming up with it, so I hope you all enjoy!**

_The days went by quickly. Tauriel and Legolas bonded more, but then a certain realization occurred to the prince one day.. _

It was a typical autumn day, and the red-haired elleth was doing her usual morning duties of training with her division of soldiers. All was going well; they went through simple practices and routines with hand-to-hand combat and weaponry skills, nothing too major. Off to the side, the young elven prince was sitting on the edge of the forest boundary, in one of the large apple trees. From there, he supervised the training session, focusing on one particular elf.. Or an elleth, to be exact.

"_Wow.. She fights so well.. I especially love the way she commands the others. She really is a warrior now, and I remember that I left her when she was a young elleth, and now look at what she is like! She's practically a master at this.. Her perfect stride.. that certain hair flip that she does.. Lovely… Wait..I am beginning to feel strange.. like a warm tugging feeling in my chest.. Is it ..attraction? Well, I do enjoy her companionship.. But not in a courting way.. It cannot be.. Tauriel is my friend.. But oh, the way she acts.. It makes me feel like this.. Should I greet her? Maybe it's just the way I feel right now. That's it, I'm going to go up to her."_, This was an argument the elf-boy was having in his mind, and now he took action, making his way to the training field.

Tauriel had just wrapped up the blade combat segment, when the blonde elf approached her. Taking off her helmet, she smiled warmly. "Hello, Twig Prince!" Legolas simply laughed, "Hey, catch!" He threw her a red object, which the elleth caught, and saw that it was fresh apple. "First one of the season.", the male elf looked rather proud of himself. "Thank you.. That's very sweet.", getting on her tippy-toes, the redhead kissed the prince on the cheek. _"That feeling.."_, the blonde elf thought to himself. He looked at her as she broke away, taking in the sight of her beautiful hazel-green orb-like eyes and her fiery red hair. He caught himself staring, and looked away, cheeks flushed a bright rosy color. Tauriel giggled lightheartedly. "Why do you look at me like that?" _"Because I enjoy your beautiful looks."_, he wanted to say so badly, but his only response was, "No reason.." The kissing of the cheek must have been simply a sign of friendship to the elleth, but it affected the elf-boy a bit drastically. _"Session over!"_, Tauriel barked out her command in Sindarin, dismissing the rest of the Elven guard. She bit into her apple, looking up to see the elf still staring at her. "What is it?", she laughed playfully. "Is there something on my face?" Legolas giggled, shaking his head. "Oh, grow up, you elfling!" Tauriel reached up, running her fingers through his silver-gold tresses. "But just stay like this.." The elf pressed his forehead to hers. "And may you do the same." Everyone had left the training area, meaning that they were alone, so Legolas began to sing a familiar Sindarin tune.

_Although the days may seem bland,_

_I'll be here to take your hand._

_When your pretty soul is filled with fear,_

_I'll be here to wipe your tears._

_When the nights are dreadful,_

_Do not be forgetful,_

_And remember I will be at your side,_

_To lead and guide._

_When you feel down,_

_Do not wear a frown,_

_For I will be here to turn it upside-down._

_When things seem sad,_

_Do not feel mad,_

_And I'll be here to make you glad._

_So like I said,_

_Do not dread,_

_For I will always be here for you!_

Remembering the song, Tauriel beamed. "That was the lullaby you sang to me on the day we met.." "Yes.. I guess you understand it now..", the prince himself couldn't help but smile at the happy memory. The elleth then suggested, "Speaking about the day we met.. How about we go see the King's elk? I haven't visited him in a long while.." Legolas nodded, and so they both decided to head to the stables.

There, the great beast grunted in greeting, nuzzling at the elleth's red hair. "Hello, boy." She handed him a treat, which he took quite gratefully. Legolas began to laugh at a sudden memory. "I remember when I first introduced you to the elk, I had to give you a boost so that you could pet him." Tauriel smiled knowingly. Once again, the young elf found himself gazing at the elleth. "Oh my goodness, _I need to stop this immediately. Does she know about my feelings? Would she avoid me? What would my father say? Would he be happy or disappointed..Or would he just not care? Wait, she still doesn't know what is between the dwarves and our people. If she found out, she wouldn't want me to accompany her, let alone court her... I should really stop this act of mine.. But she's just so nice to be around. It is as if the world gets a little brighter when she's around. Oh, no. She's looking my way."_ "Legolas, what is the matter?", Tauriel asked. "You're all pink in the face.. Is there a reason why?" The elf wanted to tell her that he loved her, but what would she think? This was his biggest concern, he didn't want to lose her. "No. No reason..", the prince was filled with a mixture of disappointment and curiosity. Was it normal to feel like this? Yes, he had read stories on falling in love, but he never paid much attention to them. Legolas decided it was best to leave before he did anything else strange. "Uhhm.. I need to go. A meeting with my father." _Lies_. "Sorry.", leaving a slightly confused Tauriel, the prince dashed out of the stables, heading over to the throne room.

"_Goodness, hat was an absurd exit. I looked like an absolute idiot in front of her! Augh, she's probably going to be mad at me.. I know my feelings toward her, but they can be hard to handle sometimes.."_ The prince mentally beat himself up, until he got to the grand throne room. "Hello, Father." King Thranduil looked up from his throne, where he was reading important documents. "Ah.. Legolas." "I-I was wondering about the incident with the dwarves.. I think Tauriel should be aware of it. I know she is kept from it just to be safe, but it is unfair and I fear that she may think differently of us when the time comes when the dwarves come after us." "Nonsense.", the king waved off his son. "I know you are one hundred- seventy years old, but you must understand these things-" "I understand them! It's just that.. I don't want Tauriel to turn away from us. She'd be angry with me for not telling her anything.", the prince argued with his father. "You're.. in the elleth's favor..", the king questioned. "Yes, Ada. I just don't want her to turn away from me. Please, I need to tell her." The king sensed the pleading need from his son. He was acting unusual, but Thranduil was wise enough to know what was going on. Legolas was clearly love struck. But would he let that relationship happen? No."Legolas,.. You fancy her?" _"Crap..",_ the princeling froze. He knew? "N-no. It's just that I don't want anything unfortunate to happen.." _Another lie_. Well, it was partially true. "Hmm..", the Elven king didn't believe his son. He obviously loved the red-haired captain. "I suppose we could tell her.. But only I will say when. Am I understood?" "Yes!", Legolas seemed relieved, and gave his father a quick embrace. "Thank you, Ada.", and he left the dome-like room, heading to his room for the night, since the sun had already set. "Oh, Legolas.. If only my Little Leaf could've stayed small and young forever. Without a care in the world.."

When the blonde elf got to his chambers, he saw that Tauriel had already fallen asleep in his bed, snuggling into a pillow. He smiled at the sight, admiring her peaceful state. Legolas got prepared for bed, and then carefully got in, and laid next to the elleth on the mattress. He fell asleep, face nuzzled into Tauriel's shoulder. All was at peace for a while..

**A/N: I hope you all liked that chapter, thank you for reading! Remember to review, follow, and favorite :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Just a lot of schoolwork, and stuff.. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy!**

_The Fight_

"Legolas, this is getting out of hand!", the irritated Elven king dragged his son by the arm into his private chambers. "Lord Elrond pointed out during the council meeting that you were admiring the Captain of the guard.. _In front of the other Lords_! This has been going on for some time, and I cannot have you sauntering around like a love struck elfling. You are a _prince_!" This made the boy angry. "So what if I do admire her?! Why would it matter? It doesn't involve you!" "You've brought dishonor Mirkwood, you've dishonored _me_!" "_How!?_ What is wrong with that? If you'd just listen-" "No, Legolas! I am the king and I am also your father, so _you listen to me_! This makes me look like I let you do whatever you please. You are a royal elf, act like one!" "You're only saying this because it's what _you_ want, Ada!" "_Enough!_", barked Thranduil and the young elf was silenced. "I have informed the guards to not allow you anywhere near that girl!" Legolas looked at his father in disbelief. _"'That Girl'?!_ Ada, you saved her when she was abandoned in the forest. You have helped raise her! Does she mean nothing to you?" _Yes_. Thranduil desperately wanted to say yes, but how could he? Just about when he was going to spit out a remark, a guard came rushing in. "Excuse me, My Lords. There has been a report from the scouts of a band of dwarves marching in the forest. Nearby there are the giant spiders of Dol Guldur." "Thank you for advising me. Send a group of guards to take care of that immediately." "Yes, My Lord.", the guard bowed, and left the room. Legolas began to follow him, until a firm hand grabbed his arm. "_Legolas, no_. You will not go fight alongside the Captain." The irritated prince yanked from his father's grasp. "I may do at my heart's content, _My King._" With that, he turned away, and pursued the guard. "My Little Leaf.. You sprouted so green, but now wilt slowly..", the king said to himself, watching his dear son run away. He felt guilty about saying those terrible things about Tauriel, but he couldn't be seen as a faulty ruler.

_The Capture_

The elleth listened intently to the dwarf's story about the time he saw a Fire Moon. He seemed different from the rest. Well, his bead was very sort, and he was young. A young prince.. "Apologies, but what is your name, dwarf?" _"Wait, did I just apologize to a dwarf?", _she thought to herself. She shook this off when he answered her. "My name is Kili. Son of.. Ugh, it doesn't matter anymore.." She knew that his father must have met a terrible fate, so she decided to no longer poke at the subject. "I am Tauriel, 'Maiden of the Forest' is what it means." "Beautiful..", the dwarf remarked instantly regretting it. "It's fine..", she smiled down to him, eyeing a stray lock of oak-brown hair that covered his eyes. _"Dwarves are strange!"_ , she thought. _"But kind and softhearted.." _"Why were you and your people roaming our lands?" Kili looked at her. Did she really not know? "We are headed to Erebor to reclaim our home, which was taken from us.. I thought you'd know. Your king was at the scene, but never helped us. Why?" This, of course, was news to Tauriel. "I… I am sorry for my king's actions.. I've never been informed about these events.." "Eh, it's not your fault. Just your king's." "Ah, I know he can be stubborn, but he can be kind.", the elleth smiled warmly at the dwarf. He was certainly nice. I've changed my mind about you dwarves.. you're not_ that_ bad.." "I know that we can be bitter, but I wish that our people could get along..", Kili looked to her, sadly. "I wish the same.."

Little did they know that they were being watched by a certain Elven prince. _"What in Mirkwood is going on with her?! He's a dwarf, and she's attracted to him? Unbelievable. What's so nice about him? He's disgusting! With his hairy face, and tangled hair.. Pathetic.",_ Legolas felt odd again. But it wasn't the same as the last time. This feeling was.. unpleasant. It was like the taste of a tart rotten apple, but as a feeling. He wanted to tell Tauriel how he felt, but how? She was so happy with the dwarf, and taking her away from him would devastate her.. He had to act wisely. When Kili had finished his story, Tauriel planned to go up to join the party, which was upstairs, but she was caught leaving, by her friend, Legolas. "L-legolas!" The male elf looked disappointed in her. "Why does the dwarf stare at you..?" "I do not know. Please don't tell your father, he'd be furious.. Speaking of him, why was I never told about his conflict with the dwarves?" The boy's heart dropped to his stomach "Tauriel, I can explain.. Please, just don't be mad-" "I'm not mad at you, Legolas. I'm angry with the king. Why did he leave the dwarves when they were in need?" "I don't know.. He never explained to me..", the prince looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry." "It's alright. I have to go, goodbye!", the elleth made her way up the stairs, and to the throne room. "Be careful..", Legolas called after her.

_A Warning_

"My Lord Thranduil, we have cleared out the spiders from these lands.", the she-elf spoke respectfully to the king." "Good. That was your task.." "But I feat that they are still spawning at Dol Guldur, and I am thinking of leading some of the others there to-" "As long as they are out of our borders, Tauriel, then they are no trouble." The elleth doubted him. "But My Lord, they will spread to other lands." "They are none of my concern.", the king looked at the Captain with a stern look in his eyes. She dared not to speak any further. "Alright, then..", she turned to leave, but the king called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. "Legolas said you fought well today." Hearing these words, Tauriel turned as a small smile played on her lips. "He has grown very fond of you.." The smile faded. What did he mean 'fond'? Sure, she and the prince had been friends since they were little, but she never thought of him like _that_. She was quite stunned. _Did Legolas really think of her like that?_ Wow.. But Thranduil wouldn't allow that! She felt her cheeks heat up, so she made an excuse. "I can assure you, My Lord, that Legolas thinks of me as no more than a Captain of the Guard.." "Perhaps he did once.. Now, I am not so sure.", the king had an odd, stern tone to his voice. Tauriel made up a comeback. "I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf." The king turned over to his table to serve himself a glass of wine. "You are right. I would not, so I am asking you not give him hope where there is none." She stood there, stunned at Thranduil's words. "You are dismissed." She left the room quickly, very flustered. Her head spun, thinking about the prince. Her shift was over, so she decided to go to her room for the night..

**A/N: Again, really sorry about the late update! Please remember to favorite, follow, and review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Late update! Sorry, too much schoolwork. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter! **

The ambush with the orcs was done and the dwarves had escaped, but Tauriel feared that the arrow which had struck Kili was lethal. She and Legolas were lucky enough to capture one of the orcs, particularly the one who shot the dwarf. The she elf and prince were standing before the king, interrogating the foul orc.

"Why were you following a band of fourteen dwarves?!", demanded the young blonde. " Thirteen, now. That black-haired archer will be dead in days. With the poison in the arrow, he won't stand a chance.", the beastly creature snarled at the red-headed elf. "Answer the question, _filth_.", she snapped back. "I do not answer to dogs, she- elf!", the orc spat sourly. This was enough. The orc was clearly asking for it. "I wouldn't antagonize her..", warned the prince. "You like killing things, orc? You like death? _Well, let me give it to you!_" With one swift movement, Tauriel whipped out her knives, and lunged to slit the orc's throat. But a halting voice brought her to a stop. "Enough! Tauriel, go.. Go now!", king Thranduil ordered for her to leave the room. She did so, but very steamed off, practically itching to end the disgusting beast's life. Kili was in trouble. She _had_ to help him.

_Time Skip.._

"My Lord Legolas..", the she elf turned to see her friend as he approached her. She had been looking for the orcs who had tried to kill the prisoners, and hunt them down, but with no luck. "You knew I'd appear.", he smiled, walking up to her. "Tauriel, you cannot hunt down so many orcs on your own." "But I'm not on my own.", she remarked. The elleth had decided to shake off the king's warning. The prince couldn't help but chuckle, he certainly adored that attitude of the elleth. "You defied my father's orders. He is furious, but if you come back with me, he will forgive you.", pleaded the elf. "Legolas, he is willing to let others die, just for his own honor. That is not what a righteous king would do." She stepped down from the rock where she was standing, and got closer to the boy. "That is why you would make an outstanding king." She tucked a stray lock of silver-blonde hair behind his ear, like he once did to her. "But this isn't our fight.", Legolas protested softly. "Oh it is, Legolas. It is..", the elleth let her hand rest on his cheek. _"I love you.",_ the prince wanted to say so badly, but all that came out was "Alright, let's go."

_Another Time Skip.._

Tauriel came out of the Lakeman's house, and stepped into the crisp cold air alongside her friend on the porch. "The dwarf has been saved…", she said, relieved. "You did well.", Legolas admitted, although he was extremely envious of Kili. "You fought very well." He looked back to her. "Thank you.", the elleth walked up to the prince, and hugged his arm comfortingly and rested her head on his shoulder. "I just wish that everyone could get along, like when we were elflings. And then we wouldn't be in this mess." "I know..", the blonde responded, sighing. All of a sudden, there was a big _crack_, and the sound of creatures snarling. The cries from the youngest girl, Tilda, got both of the elves to turn around. "Orcs!", yelled Tauriel, and she and her friend dashed inside to encounter the beasts.

_More Time Skips.._

The great disaster had hit. Smaug had attacked the town. Blazing fire everywhere, the crackle of the flames, the screams of people. This reminded the elleth of a time when she was very young… While on the boat trying to get to safety with Kili, his brother and relatives, and the Lakeman's children, Tauriel couldn't help but look away in sadness at the scene of a little girl crying for her mother to return. The mother was clearly gone for eternity. _"Poor girl.",_ she thought to herself.

All seemed lost. Bain had gone to look for his father, and the town was destroyed. But then the falling body of the lifeless dragon crashed into the water. "He's dead!", exclaimed Kili. "The dragon is dead!" "Bard shot him!", said Fili. Bain's sisters were nervous, worrying about their father and brother.

Once the fire had died down, some other people made it to the shore. The Lakepeople were all scrambling to find their loved ones. The worst of all where Bard's daughters, yelling "Da!" and "Bain!".

"Tauriel.", spoke Kili. His relatives were already boarding a boat o head to Erebor. "Kili, c'mon. We're leaving!", called his older brother. The elleth could tell by his eyes that the dwarf didn't want to leave her. "They are your people. You must go.", she urged and began to walk away. "Come with me.", he begged. "I know how I feel about you, I'm not afraid." This caught her attention, and she then faced him. "You make me feel alive." Kili looked at her with the most adoring face. "I can't..", she turned away. _"I love you."_ He spoke in a different language. "I do not know what that means..", she denied. "I think you do.", he smiled. All of a sudden, she sensed a familiar someone near. _"My Lord Legolas."_

Obviously a bit annoyed, the elf responded sourly in his native tongue, _"Take your leave of the dwarf. You are needed elsewhere."_ Seeming to know that she had to leave, Kili nodded sadly, and turned to the boat. He stopped and went back to the elleth, handing her his rune stone. "Keep it. As a promise." She smiled sadly. There was a soft spot for the dwarf in her heart. The group finally left after that.

_Sorry For Another Time Skip.._

The elves began to walk and Legolas told the elleth of the orcs with the strange marks he had seen. " Thes orcs bore the mark of Gundabad.", he explained. "I have not seen it for a long time." They continued to walk, weaving through the crowds of Laketown survivors, until they were met up by an Elven guard.

"_My Lord Legolas, I come with word from your father. You are to return immediately."_ _"Very well. Come, Tauriel.",_ Legolas gestured for her to follow him. _"My Lord..",_ spoke the high-ranking guard. _"Tauriel has been banished." "Banished?",_ the prince couldn't believe it. Did his father really ban the strong elleth he had grown to love dearly? "Well, you can tell my father that if there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me." Tauriel gasped. "Legolas, it is your king's command!" He turned to her. "Yes, he is my king… But he does not command my heart. The red-headed elleth froze. He.. _loved her?_ Yes, the king had warned her, but she thought it was just a plot. There was an almost hurt look in his eyes. She felt guilty, now getting why he acted strangely in the dungeons. How could she be so blind? "I ride north.", the sound of the elf speaking interrupted her thoughts. "Will you come with me?" "Where?" "To Gundabad." With that, the prince whistled for Nimroch to come. Sure enough, the snow-white horse trotted into sight. They were off.

_Last One.._

When the elves got to Gundabad, Legolas, wiser than Tauriel, explained to her the history of their people and the land as they were camped out near the stronghold. "Our people fought for the land, and-", he stopped, quieting down, eyes going blank. The elleth grew concerned. "What is it?", she asked. "… My mother died there…", the always-tough elf looked as if he were about to weep. "There is no grave.. No memory." He choked back a slight sob as a single tear escaped from his eye, trailing down his pale cheek. "Sorry..", he looked down, ashamed of his behavior. Tauriel wrapped her arms around him and wiped his tears away with a gentle hand. "Oh, Legolas, I had no idea.." She hugged him close and he buried his face in her shoulder. "I could never face it to tell you when we met. I just strived to comfort you… I guess the tables have turned.", he laughed softly, sniffling a bit. "You have shown me that this really is our fight." "It is..", she departed from him.

They continued to keep watch, until there was a deep rumbling from the earth, and out came a swirl of bats. "These bats are bred for only one purpose..", said the prince. _"War."_

"We must ride back to warn everyone.", he urged, assisting Tauriel onto Nimroch. Once he had mounted the horse, they rode back to Dale, where trouble was soon to come..

**A/N: So I edited the original movie lines, and I thought that It would seem somehow cuter that way, but meh :/ Sorry for the late updates, I have this huge school project, and it takes up time, but thanks for reading and remember to favorite, follow, and review! :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey, I've been trying to fit in time to write, but it sometimes doesn't work out :/ Apologies, but please enjoy the chapter!**

"Nimroch, what is the matter?", Legolas was concerned about the state of his horse. Their destination was just over the next hill and just now, the animal stopped moving onward. He whined, and tossed his head. _"Ya!",_ the prince urged the horse to move, but it wouldn't. There was a sudden deep rumbling sound coming from the earth below them. "What is that?", asked Tauriel nervously, holding tight to her partner. With a loud cry, the steed reared up, almost throwing off his passengers.

With a last urgent kick, the elf was able to get the horse to move reluctantly. Once on the hill, the elves looked upon a devastating scene: _The Battle of the Five Armies_. "Whereworms!", said the elleth. "I have only seen them in books.." She looked to the rest of the battle field, and saw the dwarvish army, the orc army and the goblins, the Laketown militia, and finally King Thranduil's large armed forces. "The Lakepeople must have taken refuge in the ruins of Dale.", supposed the elf. "Gandalf is most likely there. We must see him immediately!" The rode off to the city.

_After Consulting with Gandalf.._

Tauriel found herself searching for the king in the city ruins. _"Where is he?",_ she thought. _"I must give him a piece of my mind.. Why is he not stopping any of this?!"_ Turning a corner, she was met up with the king, who was leading a group of warriors. Being in his very presence made her blood boil. _"You will go no further!",_ she commanded. "You will not turn away… _Not this time_." Thranduil, obviously agitated, scowled at the redhead, and spat back, "Get out of my way!" "The dwarves will be slaughtered.", tears threatened to spill from her eyes, as she imagined Kili and his relatives dying horrific deaths, all because of the Elven king. "Yes, they will die.", the elf said flatly. "Today.. Tomorrow.. One year hence, one hundred years from now. What does it matter? They are _mortals_."

This was pushing Tauriel over the edge. She couldn't believe how cruel he was, but tried to remember the kind ruler she met when she was a little elfling. _"Lies.. He has changed into a bad, bad king..",_ she realized. The elleth took action, whipping out her bow and arrow, aiming it at the king's throat. "You think your life is worth more than theirs?! When there is no love in it.. _There is no love in you_." Taken aback by the insult, Thranduil himself was steaming with anguish. How dare she! Her words seemed to trigger a memory. He once knew of love a long time ago, but he pushed this out of his mind. _"I am having none of this..",_ was his final thought before presenting his sword, and slicing her weapon in half, and pointing it to her chest.

"What do you know of love?! _Nothing. _What you feel for that dwarf _is not real_." Tauriel's tears spilled lightly. How could her king be this way? After all they had been through.. The way he always welcomed her, and treated her like a daughter.. It was nonexistent, now.

"You think it is love? Are you ready to _die_ for it?", the king pressed the tip of the sword further into her armor. _"Please… No. Don't do this. Don't be the person I remember as a foul monster.",_ she thought desperately, looking for the king she once knew. The baked began to pierce her armor, and she closed her eyes, waiting to feel pain. But no. Instead, she heard it be pushed away. Opening her eyes again, she saw a familiar elf there, blocking the blade with his own. _Legolas._

Through gritted teeth, the prince growled to his father, _"If you dare harm her.. You will have to kill me."_ It was like an arrow through his chest. These words coming from his son.. his Little Leaf.. _hurt him_. Drawing back his sword, Thranduil looked down in shame.

"I will go with you.", whispered the prince to the elleth, and they were off to join the dwarves.

_At Ravenhill.._

The elves had made it to a peak near mountain and Tauriel spotted Kili, his brother, uncle, and another relative mounted on heavily set goats. She knew that the orc leader was awaiting them. "Kili!", the elleth yelled out into the howling wind. Of course from this distance, she couldn't be heard. They soon saw the dwarves split, and Kili and his brother parted away. "Tauriel, go fend for Kili and I'll take care of the king.", said Legolas. He leaned over to her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "Please..", he said "Just be careful.." There was a War Bat flying by, so he took hold of it, to be carried to the mountain.

_The Farewell of a Dwarf.._

The elleth and dwarf prince had been battling Bolg, son of Azog, who had ambushed Tauriel when she was looking for Kili. After twisting her arm and disabling her, the vicious orc tossed the she-elf aside like a ragdoll. He grabbed ahold of the dwarf prince, who thrashed in his grasp. "Augh!", having an injured limb didn't stop the elleth from defending the male. She pounced on top of the beast, pulling his arm that held his weapon. But unfortunately, she didn't have the strength to hold on when he shook her off. Sliding to the edge of the cliff, the female elf looked up, locking eyes with Kili, before Bolg plunged his sword into his chest. "No!", cried the elleth. The dwarf's eyes finally shut, as he took his last breath.

Dropping the lifeless body like a toy, the orc headed over where the elf was on the ground. _"This is it. Orcs have taken too much from me.. My father.. My mother.. and now Kili. It is time for me to show them death..", _thought the elleth angrily. Struggling back to her feet, she got up, and latched onto the creature's neck. Losing his balance because of the sudden weight, Bolg stumbled toward the ledge. With a push off of the edge, both of them plummeted down to the earth below. But the fall didn't end the orc, nor the elleth..

After taking out an entire group of goblin mercenaries, Legolas felt quite accomplished, but he turned to see his friend being overtaken by a nasty orc. Quickly, he sprang into action, using a War Beast to bring down a stone pillar to get to Tauriel, who was across the small valley.

Seeing the other elf, Bolg gravitated his attention to the stronger one. He made his way to meet the elf on the make-shift bridge. This orc was very difficult to battle. He wasn't as stupid as the rest and always turned to spot the prince, whenever he tried to strike him from behind. After a while, the orc became slow, and the elf was able to plant a blade in his skull. Finished with his task, the male began to panic when he no longer saw the elleth where he had seen her before. _"Tauriel!"_, he called.

_Back on the Ledge.._

Legolas finally found her back on the ledge where she had battled Bolg. To his disappointment, her dwarf companion wasn't so lucky.. She sat next to the lifeless body, stroking his hair. A soft sniffle came from her, and the elf rushed over to comfort her. Sitting next to her, he put an arm on her shoulder. "All for a handful of riches..", she sobbed. "My father has been foolish.", agreed the elf. Seeing that the elleth no longer wanted to speak, he stood up. "I shall leave you alone now. I'll be waiting for you near the city of Dale."

"_Where is he?!"_ the king thought frantically, searching for his son in the ruin halls of Ravenhill. _"Oh no.."_ he spotted the corpse of an elf. _"Please don't be him.. Not my Legolas.."_ He reached the area, only to be met with the real Legolas. "I cannot go back..", said the prince. This broke the king's heart to see that his boy didn't want to return to their home. "Where shall you go?" "I don't know..", responded the young one. "Go north.", informed Thranduil. "Find the Dunedain. There is a young ranger among them. You should meet him there. His father, Arathorn, was a good man.. His son.. _might grow to be a great one_." "What is his name?", asked the prince. "He is known in the wild as 'Strider'.. His true name, you must discover for yourself." Legolas nodded, and began to walk off, but a halting voice stopped him "Legolas,", said his father. "Your mother loved you.." The prince stopped walking. Why was he talking about his mother at a time like this?! "More than anyone.. More than _life_." They finally waved each other off, in Sindarin fashion and the young one departed.

The king continued to walk, until he reached the ledge. There, he saw Tauriel kneeling beside the dwarf of hers, who seemed to be lifeless. He came to a realization: _Tauriel really did love him_. Sensing his presence, she spoke "They want to bury him.." "Yes..", said Thranduil. She began to weep again. "If this is love, I do not want it… Take it from me, _please_." She looked at him pleadingly. _"Why does it hurt so much?",_ the elleth wailed and for a split second, the Elven king swore he saw the little shy elfling he found in the forest of his kingdom so many years ago. Her shorter hair, large hazel-green eyes, and even the expression. "Because it was real.." Her eyes widened at the words which came from the older elf. She leaned down, and kissed the dwarf on the lips. _"Farewell, Kili..",_ Tauriel silently bided him goodbye.

The Aftermath..

Both Legolas and the she-elf attended the funeral of Kili, Fili, and their king, Thorin Oakenshield. Knowing that she was the elleth who saved Kili's life, they welcomed her and the prince warmly. Tauriel was saddened to see the small halfling, Bilbo Baggins, bursting into tears after the burial. He must have grown close to the king and his nephews..

After the funeral, it was already nightfall, so the elves decided to grab a few supplies, and head off and a bit away from the scene of the battle and the Mountain. They had gotten to a small lake, when Tauriel's knees gave out, and she fell onto the grass, near the water. "Tauriel!", the prince kneeled down to aid her. He sat her up, and examined her for any major wounds. Sure enough, she had a severely twisted arm, and a gash on her torso. "Let me tend to you.", whistling for Nimroch, Legolas helped set her down on a blanket. The horse appeared immediately, and from a pack on his saddle, the prince retrieved some herbal medicine and bandages. When he was done patching her up, he decided to lay down next to her, looking up at the stars.

"Oh, Legolas..", she embraced him, trying to remember the times when they were kids and he would comfort her. "I know..", he hugged her back, stroking her hair. "What happened to Pegumith?" "I set her free when I went after the dwarves." "Ah.." There was a moment of silence, but she then spoke again."I have to leave tomorrow to give the promise stone to Dis, Fili and Kili's mother.." "Shall I accompany you?", offered Legolas. "I am sorry, but I fear I may have to do this without you.. I leave tomorrow morning." The blonde was devastated to hear this, but it was her choice. He wasn't going to restrict her from it. "When will you be back?" She turned to face him. "Legolas, I cannot face the past, and live on like it was nothing. I must find a new life somewhere else.. These things haunt me." He hugged her even closer. "I am so sorry for what has happened.." Surprisingly, she accepted his embrace and said, "It's alright, it wasn't your fault." They stayed like that. Legolas dreaded when the morning sun would shine, but all he wanted to do now was hold her close.

But they couldn't stay like that forever. In the early morning, Tauriel got up sore from her wounds, but packed some of her things, and kissed a still-sleeping Legolas on the cheek. "Goodbye, my Prince.", she even said goodbye to Nimroch. "Take care of him , alright?" He nickered in response, nuzzling into her shoulder, and with that, she left quietly.

Legolas was very sad to wake up to the empty space next to him, but there was a note left. It read: _"Take care. –Tauriel"_ He was reluctant to get up, but he managed to, and soon was mounted on his steed, and was off to find this 'Strider' fellow..

**A/N: Do not worry! This isn't it, I promise to update soon. The next chapter may be the last one, but it will be very nice. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remember to favorite, follow, and review! :) **


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey, there! Thank you for reading this far... Pease enjoy!

_Tauriel lonely and empty inside for the next several years, as if there was a piece missing from her heart. She longed to see the bright face of Legolas, the same one he always had when he saw her. Her childhood buddy was gone. She also discovered the death of the king's elk, who was also a comforting factor or her elflinghood. These days, she roamed the lands, seeking shelter for every day, doing favors for people in exchange for money to sustain herself. She wasn't the girl in the Elven kingdom she used to be. Now, she was considered an outcast. The elleth only ever saw humans and other races, other than her own. The she-elf even cut her hair short, in order to change her appearance to try to forget herself. She wished for just a while, to be with the boy.. It hit her how much he really did love her.. And she learned to accept the fact. She.. needed him._

_After the War of the Ring.._

The air smelled of ale and cheer as the people were singing songs under the starry night sky of Minas Tirith. "Legolas, I'd like to take you somewhere.", the ranger who had grown to be a good friend of the elf gestured for him to separate themselves from the celebration. "But Aragorn, are you not going to spend time with your newly wedded wife? It _is_ your wedding night.", the blonde protested. But the man waved him off. "I have already advised her. Besides, I think that you will enjoy this. Now change out of your formal wear and meet me here in ten minutes." A bit skeptical, the elf complied and headed to his chambers where he stayed.

When he was finally regularly armored, Aragorn was mounted on his horse, holding the reins of the elf's steed, Nimroch. "Get on, princeling. We ride to Rohan." _"Why Rohan?"_, questioned the prince silently. _"It has been destroyed by the war.." _

Only after a night of riding, they arrived in front of the city. To Legolas' surprise, Rohan was being rebuilt! But the scene was still a bit devastating, seeing the people trying to remake their lost homes.

"Poor souls..", said the elf sorrowfully. "Yes, it is sad, but look who I found..", the man pointing out toward the town. Even with his elf eyes, the princeling had to squint a bit to see a full image. He pinpointed his eye sight on a mortal-looking girl with short red hair, occupied with other people on building a home structure. She wore a regular dress, like the other women. "Yes, I see. But what is so special about her?", the prince was confused. "Legolas, don't tell me you've forgotten her..", Aragorn looked at him as if he was crazy. "Miss _'Maiden of the Forest'?_", called the man. The girl, hearing herself being called looked up from her work.

She waved, recognizing Aragorn, but her hand soon dropped, and the most astonished look appeared on her face. The elf still didn't get what this was, until he focused in on the little pendant around her neck. It seemed to be _starlight_. Wait.. the only person who had that pendant was.. No, it couldn't be.. It was Tauriel! A grin appeared on the blonde boy's face, and he hastily dismounted off of Nimroch, running towards the village like a giddy little elfling. The elleth called out to him_, "Legolas!" "Tauriel!",_ he called back.

The ran towards each other until they finally met in a strong hug. "Oh my goodness, Legolas!", Tauriel had tears of pure joy streaming down her cheeks, as she held his face, feeling every perfect part of it as if to make sure that he was real. The elf picked her up, twirling her around, and she laughed.

When she was finally set down, the boy couldn't stop himself from embracing her once again, phrases like "Oh my goodness." and "I am so happy." Spilling from his mouth. "Tauriel, I missed you so much. Your hair.. it's beautiful! Goodness, how _I love you_." Actually hearing himself, Legolas let go and began to shy away, blushing like mad. "Sorry..", he apologized but Tauriel saw no reason why. "I know you love me." Was her only response before she grabbed the elf by the shoulders, and pulled him close. "Kiss me, you _Twig Prince_.", the elleth urged for him to do this action and he could barely believe what he was hearing. Of course it wasn't an offer he'd turn down, but he seemed stunned at the moment. "Must I do everything for you?", the she-elf got on her tippy-toes, and finally kissed him. Not on the cheek, like when they were younger. A _real_ kiss.

It was a bit hurried, but it was just so pleasant. Legolas finally got used to the feeling and tilted her head, cupping her cheek to deepen the kiss. She tasted sweet, like the apples of Mirkwood and was as soft as the spring grass. They began to kiss with more urgency and passion, releasing several years of emotion.

The elves broke away when they heard Aragorn yelling to get their attention. "Well I expect _someone_ will be having a wedding soon!" Tauriel giggled, looking up at him. "Come along with us, Tauriel. We have so much to speak about..", Legolas urged, lips still pink and glossy from the kiss. With some negotiation, he was able to convince her to tag along. The elleth was relieved from her work, and she mounted Nimroch (who recognized her) with the prince.

Aragorn was amused on the trip back, watching the happy couple acting all bubbly and dazed, under a veil of love. It was so odd to see Legolas like this. It was like he was under a spell. Overall, the journey back was nice. The man explained how he came in touch with Tauriel, and planned to surprise the elf. The elves had some time to catch up with each other, tell jokes, and even fit in a few stolen kisses.

When they arrived back to Minas Tirith, the people were there, to greet their king. You can imagine just how thrilled Arwen was to see Tauriel again. The elleth and prince slept in his chambers that night, in the comfort of each other's presence. They told each other about what had happened in the last few years, and there were even a few more shy yet affectionate kisses, but nothing too serious. It was all so nice, finally having her back in his life. "Have you spoken to your father?", asked Tauriel out of nowhere. "Once or twice.", the elf answered. "Did he say anything of me?" "No…" Tauriel was weary about the king, especially after the Battle of the Five Armies. Legolas sensed her discomfort, and began to rub circles of her back soothingly. "I know you worry, but I promise you, Tauriel, everything will be fine from now on. Alright?" "Alright.", answered the she-elf, pecking him on the nose. "But I'm just scared.." "Don't be.", reassured her partner. Wrapping themselves up in the soft blankets, they cuddled up, soon falling asleep before Legolas whispered, "I love you." You can predict what the elleth said back..

_A Few Months Later.._

"Tauriel, I was thinking..", said the prince. "Hm?", the elleth answered, looking up from the infant outfit that she was sewing. They were still in the building of Minas Tirith. "You know.. Samwise, Gimli, and I are sailing to the Undying Lands soon.. To see the others. And I would like you to come along with us.." She was flattered to hear this. _"Really?"_ "Yes, really. You are the love of my life, and I would be forever grateful if you were to accompany me." His hands strayed to her abdomen. "I also want to do it for the baby." She had been carrying his child for only five weeks now. It was almost unnoticeable, by seeing her belly but when she had felt it stirring in her, she was afraid. Oh, the face of the elf when he found out that he was going to be a father soon. They wanted to keep it a surprise, so they never spoke of it. The she-elf smiled with glee. "Of course I will." And she embraced the elf. "..I also would like to see my father.. Just one last time.." The elleth nodded. "I understand. I shall come with you."

_Mirkwood.._

The familiar sound of hoof beats relaxed Tauriel as she held onto her partner, riding the white horse. She closed her eyes, feeling safe with him until the steed stopped and Legolas told her "We're here."

Her eyes fluttered open to see the marvelous entrance to the Mirkwood kingdom. There was a sickening feeling to her stomach. "You alright?", asked the prince, obviously conserved with the well-being of his lover. "Yes.", she shook off the feeling and they dismounted, heading into the palace.

The walls of the ancient structure felt like an old memory. Tauriel remembered playing hide-and-seek with the prince when they were little. Both elves finally made it to the throne room, where they assumed was the king. They were correct.

There he sat on his throne, but he didn't look as proud as he used to be. Thranduil had empty bottles scattered around his seat, as if he had been drinking, and he looked rather tired. His face seemed to have lost its hue. "Lord Thranduil..", greeted the prince. The king perked up and his eyes widened. "Legolas..?" He stumbled out of his seat in the most un-royal way. He went up to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I-I never expected you to return ever again.." The elf king was shocked. Why had his son come back after what he had done? The younger elf walked to his father, embracing him. They broke apart, and the king's gaze moved to the elleth. "Y-you're..-", his voice was shaky. "Tauriel.", the she-elf finished his sentence for him. "Tauriel..", the king's eyes filled with tears. He held his arms out stretched and she gladly walked into them. "I am so sorry.. I should have never banished you. It was all just for some jewels and I was so blind.. Forgive me.", the words spurted from Thranduil's mouth. "I was foolish.." The elleth hugged the king, who had been like a father to her. "I forgive you." It took several years for her to accept this, but she did.

The elves gathered together to talk and the younger ones revealed their relationship and plans to the king. "Ada.. Tauriel and I have some exciting news..", the prince spoke. He held hands with the elleth, for reassurance. "I am glad to say that the Lady Tauriel is with child." The king was speechless. "You mean.." "Yes. It is ours." A huge grin appeared on his face. His happy expression made him look a bit younger and joyful. And for the first time, Tauriel saw him burst into tears of joy. "My Little Leaf is going to be a father! I am going to become a grandfather.."

After the king had calmed down, Legolas revealed further news. "We will be sailing to the Undying Lands. It will be better for the child, and we will be happy." "That is good. The child will have a good life there." "And.. I'd like to ask if I could marry Tauriel." This was news to both the elleth and the king. "Legolas..", the she-elf was surprised, but happy. "Son, you have grown independent and strong over the last few years, and I see it in you.. It is only fair to say that you may make your own decision." The elf smiled at his dad. It was a cheery smile, like the one he showed when he was an elfling.

The king had a pendant that hung around his neck. It was a beautiful ring! "Legolas, this belonged to your mother. I believe that it should now be Tauriel's." The elf took the elegant ring, and took it off the chain it was on. He got on one knee in from of the elleth, taking a deep breath. "Tauriel, you are the love of my life. I have felt this way about you for several years, but I was too afraid to tell you. All of the times have never seemed to be right, but now I think it is. You have always been there for me in both good and bad events; I would like to enjoy the rest of my life in yours. Tauriel, 'Maiden of the Forest', will you please be my wedded wife?" The she-elf's hand covered her mouth, and with a smile, she said "Yes."

_At the Dock.._

Just as they were about to depart, the elves gave out the news about the marriage and the baby to the others. "Ah, the princeling's gonna be a father!", exclaimed Gimli with glee. Sam was extremely cheerful, and congratulated the couple. All who were there, including Thranduil were glad about the news. Even Arwen and Aragon were present, getting ready to send them off.

But, goodbyes weren't easy. Legolas and Tauriel promised the king that they would take good care of the infant when it was born. Saying farewell to Aragorn seemed to be the most difficult thing for the elf prince.

"Well dear friend, I am afraid that this is where I shall leave you. Take care of Tauriel and the baby." Aragorn did his best to put on a smile, although he was saddened to see his friend go. "You will make a good father." Legolas chuckled at the comment. "I hope I will." Just then, the boat was getting ready to leave. "Goodbye, my friend.", said the king. The passengers boarded the boat, and it began to sail. The prince waved to his father and friend. That goodbye was even sadder than he had ever imagined. He would never forget them..

Soon, they were out of sight, and the hobbit, dwarf, and elves looked onward to the Undying Lands.

_Ten Years Later.._

"That's it, little Ieston. That is how you hold an axe.", Gimli laughed heartedly at the little elfling who was sat down on the floor, tugging at the base of his weapon. The boy was tiny compared to him, but was full of curiosity. His blue eyes inherited from his father were full of wonder, and his crimson-colored hair from his mother was a mess and unruly. They were currently in the kitchen of the elfling's home, and the voice of his mother sounded.

"Ieston, what have I told you about combing your hair! Stop playing with dangerous weapons!", she disciplined him. "Oh it's alright _meleth nin_, you mustn't worry about him. He is only having a bit of fun.", her husband approached her from behind, snaking his arms around her waist, resting on the bump of her belly. They had another little one on the way, hopefully a girl. It was much news when they announced that they were expecting another child..

At the moment, all seemed so well. So perfect. Nothing could bother them. Sometimes when they were snuggling together at night, the elf couple would recall funny moments from their childhood. One of the recent events was their wedding. Legolas and her danced as he sang the same song that he did on the day they met. It was so wonderful.. The flower petals, the celebration, everything.

_Epilogue_

_The second child turned out to be a little girl. Her name was Elhedril and she had the silver-blonde hair of her father and the hazel-green eyes of her mother. Her name meant 'Faithful Elf' and her brother's name meant 'Wish'. Tauriel was afraid to tell them about their history, but Legolas was always there to comfort her. When they were a bit older, the elflings found out about the Battle of the Five Armies, and the War of the Ring that led to the fall of the dark lord. They were taught of Thorin Oakenshield, the king under the mountain, and their grandfather, King Thranduil, king of the Woodland Realm. The girl seemed to understand it better, but it took more time for Ieston to interpret the information. None the less, the elves lived a good life 'till the end of time. For once, Legolas and Tauriel were at ease.._

**A/N: Thank you all for making it to the end! I cannot say how happy I am that you have followed my story for this long. Maybe I'll make another fic following this, who knows. I hope you all enjoyed this fic, and please tell me what you thought of it! :)**


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